More than 90 percent of BART workers have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 ahead of Monday’s deadline, with some 300 employees remaining unvaccinated, according to data provided by the transit agency.
As of Friday, 91 percent of the agency’s board members, train drivers, station agents, police officers and other employees have proved their full vaccination status.
Another 1 percent of employees had received their first vaccine dose and were awaiting their second, while 317 employees — 8 percent of the agency’s workforce — remained unvaccinated Friday, including 37 train operators and 15 BART police officers.
Updated rates including BART employees who got a vaccine dose over the weekend were not yet available as of Monday morning, according to a spokesperson for the transit agency.
The BART Board of Directors voted 8-1 in August to require all of the agency’s nearly 4,000 employees to prove their vaccination status or provide a valid medical or religious exemption.
Board members argued the policy is necessary to keep the agency’s employees and riders protected against the virus, especially children under 5 years old who are not yet vaccine eligible.
“No one is being forced to get the vaccine, but this policy states that being vaccinated is a condition of employment,” Board Director Janice Li said during the Oct. 14 meeting.
Starting Tuesday, employees who have not proved their vaccination status or requested an exemption will be placed on paid administrative leave until a disciplinary hearing can be held, according to a BART spokesperson.
Employees who get vaccinated while waiting for their hearing will have it postponed until they complete their vaccination series and ultimately canceled once they do.
Employees will also be able to continue working if they are in between their first and second doses by Monday.
The agency had received 149 exemption requests as of Friday. Employees with an active exemption request will be allowed to continue working as normal.
Employees who do not have their request approved will subsequently have seven days to get their first vaccine dose and provide proof to the agency.
BART officials worked with the transit agency’s multiple labor unions to determine how to handle employees who refuse to get vaccinated. The agency has also hosted vaccination clinics for employees to make it easier to get a shot.
Under federal health guidelines, all BART riders and employees will still be required to wear a face covering when in a BART station or on a BART train, regardless of their vaccination status.
I think BART should have a rubber glove mandate. Those trains are disgusting. Maybe a diaper mandate too. Inhaling COVID is one of my lessor fears on those trains.
“No one is being forced”.
Spoken like a True Communist. Funny how ‘Li’ only supports laws or rules she agrees with, but encourages riders to ignore the rules by eating on the trains.
Your Union is WEAK, your employer has changed the conditions of employment and is in violation of the contract.
This is where BART employees should have went on strike.
SAD, but not surprised.
BART employees are paid very well.
Smart ones will just get the shot & smile.
“Smart”? Do you mean smart like a commercial airline pilot?
Interesting that it’s the 1st time in history that there’s been so many pilot deaths……and it’s covered in Airline Pilot magazine.
They’re worried about BART employees spreading COVID-19 to riders?
When was the last time you actually saw a BART employee at a BART station? lol
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Irrelevant.
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Gotta mask up anyway.
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#Resist
Yes, it’s not “mandatory” only it’s required to keep your job. No shot then no paycheck. About as coercive as it gets.
When was the last time you saw a Bart employee? They’re already understaffed as it is. So hooray, they’ll let go a number of workers and then reduce the number of trains or pass out even more overtime than they already are. Maybe that one janitor can push his pay up to $400,000 instead of only $300,000.
Seems that too many unions have rolled over and given up. This changes the terms of their contract during the contract’s life. Should go back to a vote for the members to agree to it until the next contract comes up.
Who the hell cares? Im so fed up with this state I could puke for days. Shove the jab up your arse, greasy loser newsome!
So true.
“No one is being forced to get the vaccine, but this policy states that being vaccinated is a condition of employment,” Board Director Janice Li said during the Oct. 14 meeting
Oh, thanks. I was worried that there was coercion going on, but as long as they aren’t physically holding people down and injecting them, that’s fine!
I love this headline. Would be perhaps more honest to put it like this: “BART coerces it’s employees into getting vaxxed, still confronts potentially disastrous staffing issue.”
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And exactly how does this improve BART service or security?
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Most black Americans have chosen to remain unvaccinated, therefore any vaccine requirement is de facto racist.
I am disgusted by this flagrant racism against my black brethren.
We must stand with BLM and our black brothers, who have chosen their own bodily autonomy. Anyone who speaks out in favor of mandates is a black-hating racist!