Milwaukee City Employees Required To Get Vaccinated: Mayor

MILWAUKEE, WI — Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett announced Tuesday that general city employees will be required to get vaccinated against COVID-19 starting in September.

City employees, including temporary employees and interns, would need to be vaccinated starting Sept. 1, Barrett said at a press briefing.

The decision followed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's formal approval of the Pfizer vaccine Monday, the mayor's office said in a statement.

Unvaccinated employees will have until Oct. 29 to produce proof of vaccination, the mayor's office said.

Employees who don't comply with the requirement will face an unpaid 30-day suspension and will be terminated from their jobs if they continue to defy the mandate, the mayor's office said.

The city is still discussing vaccine requirements with public employee unions, the mayor's office said. Currently, the vaccination requirement doesn't apply to union-represented employees.

“We have an obligation to provide a safe workplace for all employees, and a vaccinated workforce is part of that,” Barrett said. “A vaccinated workforce also helps protect members of the public who interact with employees, as well as family members of City employees.”

City employees will get up to two hours of paid leave to receive vaccinations, the mayor's office said. The new policy includes provisions for employees requesting exemption from the requirement for medical or religious reasons.