Judge Denies Injunction Request From Allegheny County Police, Corrections Officers Over COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate
By: KDKA-TV News Staff
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - A federal judge rejected a preliminary injunction request by Allegheny County police and corrections officers against the county's COVID-19 vaccine mandate, according to our news partners at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
The unions representing the officers went to court in October to block the county's order that all employees be vaccinated by Dec. 1 or face termination.
The unions filed for injunctions, calling the vaccines experimental and unproven with unknown side effects and saying any mandatory order must be negotiated. A lawyer representing the unions said the county's workforce could be nearly cut in half if unvaccinated employees are fired, the Post-Gazette said.
The federal judge sided with the county on Monday, saying the unions are unlikely to win their court battle or suffer irreparable harm, the Post-Gazette reported.
County solicitor Andy Szefi told the Post-Gazette that about 87% of employees have been vaccinated.