Sacramento Orders City Employees to Take the Shot or Lose Pay

A deal inked Wednesday between the City of Sacramento and Sacramento City Employees unions orders city employees to take the COVID vaccine, provide the city electronic proof of the vaccine, or go on on unpaid leave.

Take the vaccine, show proof and give up your medical privacy, or lose your right to earn a living.

“On or before October 1, 2021, all employees in classifications represented by the Sacramento City Exempt Employees Association will accurately provide the City with their COVID-19 vaccination status by utilizing the California Medical Information Act (CMIA) compliant electronic database provided by the Department of Human Resources,” the agreement says (below).

According to city employees, all of the city employees unions have agreed.

Ironically, the agreement claims it “does not establish a precedent, nor does it interpret any employee rights under the language of the Labor Agreements, the Rules and Regulations of the Civil Service Board, or any applicable policies and procedures of the City of Sacramento except as expressly stated herein.”

The Globe has been in frequent contact with city employees for several months over their concerns that this latest mandate would be the eventual outcome.

Back in June, city employees reported “multiple times at meetings we are being coerced by management to turn in our vaccine status to the safety department so we can be ‘verified’ and walk around city hall mask free. Without it, we’ll be tagged with wearing the mask of shame.”

The city issued a June 28, 2021 memo (below) to employees explaining the compliance requirements:

“Effective immediately, fully vaccinated employees who voluntarily provide the City with a narrowly defined medical release authorization and a record of their vaccination status using the City’s online submission form will not be required to wear a face covering.”

The June 28 memo also said:

• An employee’s submission of their vaccination status is voluntary.

• Unvaccinated employees and employees who have not submitted voluntary proof of vaccination are required to wear face coverings.

• Release authorizations and proof of vaccination will be treated as secure confidential documents, in accordance with local, state, and federal regulations/laws.

• Vaccinated employees may still choose to wear face coverings without fear of retaliation.

How quickly things changed just since June for city employees, even as “local coronavirus transmission rate returns to a level about as low as it was just before the start of the delta surge,” the Sacramento Bee reported Thursday. And, it is “declining quickly.”

Sacramento County public health officer Dr. Olivia Kasirye says masks will remain mandatory for those who are not fully vaccinated.

Interestingly, reaching a seven-day average of less than five daily COVID-19 cases per 100,000 is what the CDC defines within the “moderate” range of 10 to 50 per 100,000. “Cases” are those who have tested positive for COVID. Many large employers and most government agencies require employees to be regularly tested for COVID, regardless of vaccination status.