1,500+ State Workers Still Unvaccinated. What Now? The HUB

The HUB is a daily newsletter designed for what you want — to be caught up on the most interesting, important news in 5 minutes or less. It's a little bit of this, a little bit of that, but if there's something you want more or less of, email me at alex.newman@patch.com.

Today is Tuesday, October 19. Let's get started.

There are 1,571 state workers who have not complied with Gov. Charlie Baker's vaccine mandate for executive branch employees, which went into effect Sunday.

But actually enforcing it is proving to be tricky.

Under state policy, managers who are unvaccinated and have not obtained an exemption will be suspended for five days without pay, then fired. Union members, meanwhile, will be suspended for 15 days without pay before they are fired.

But employees were told to come to work Monday, while the state still has not ruled on some applications for exemptions, Commonwealth Magazine reported. Human resource departments across various agencies will seek to determine workers' vaccination status in the coming days.

Exemption applications will be considered on a rolling basis, a process that is expected to be completed within two weeks.

"They don’t know whether they’re going to have a job today or tomorrow," Michael Cherven, president of the State Police Association, told Commonwealth Magazine. "Nobody’s telling us what’s going on."

Read more from Commonwealth Magazine.

Top stories

Mayoral candidate Annissa Essaibi George visited Methadone Mile Sunday, where she witnessed firsthand the deteriorating situation that has been likened to a humanitarian crisis. Essaibi George vowed to address Mass. and Cass on "Day 1," saying she would declare a "public health emergency zone" and allocate $30 million in federal funding to addiction and mental health services in the area. (Boston Herald)

Some lawmakers hope to end the separation of tipped workers and other employees making minimum wage. A bill going before the Labor Committee Tuesday would amend the "grand bargain" – which distinguished between tipped and non-tipped employees – to increase the minimum wage of those receiving tips by $1.50 a year until their hourly rate aligned with non-tipped workers at $15 an hour or higher. (GBH)

A federal complaint was filed Monday on behalf of a Boston-based Haitian American group over the treatment of 48 Haitians who recently arrived in Massachusetts. The complaint alleges that migrants were denied access to medical care, food, water, beds, showers or blankets while they were transferred across various detention facilities. (WBUR)

Local voices

"Simply put, Massachusetts cannot fight the climate crisis or achieve environmental justice without a clean transportation system." - Joan Meschino and Alli Gold Roberts, Commonwealth Magazine

"Consumers should not have to turn to big manufacturers like Apple — which often overprice their products, hardware, and repair services — in order to fix their phones. The Legislature should approve the bill." - Boston Globe Editorial Staff

Elsewhere in Massachusetts

Parents and teachers raised concerns over escalating violence at Lawrence High School at an emergency meeting Monday night.

More than 20 fights have broken out at the school in recent weeks, resulting in injuries among teachers and staff and the arrests of some students.

"Our high school is in chaos. It's in turmoil," said Debo Brown, whose nephew is a Lawrence High School student.

Many parents called for the resignation of Superintendent Cynthia Paris, who pinned the violence on a rough adjustment to in-person learning after a year of classes being remote. (WHDH)

In case you missed it

Kyle Schwarber blasted a grand slam in Boston's 12-3 thrashing of Houston Monday night, making the Sox the only team in history to hit three grand slams in a single playoff series.

What I'm reading today: I wouldn't call myself a "car guy," but I would like to get my hands on a classic Bronco (apparently I'm not the only one). SUVs from the 80s and 90s are starting to infringe on the territory of sportier fare like coupes and convertibles when it comes to piquing collectors' interest. (InsideHook)

Weather: Mostly sunny, with a high near 61. West wind 13 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. Partly cloudy at night, with a low around 54. West wind 7 to 10 mph.