17 Port Authority employees fired over COVID-19 vaccine mandate
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Seventeen unvaccinated Port Authority workers have been fired while over 100 are still off the job pending their disciplinary hearings.
The COVID-19 vaccine mandate created a shortage of drivers and led to delays and cancelations, but 100 employees have since returned to work, a Port Authority spokesperson said.
The Port Authority said 127 employees have disciplinary hearings pending and are off with pay. Nine workers have retired.
About 500 unvaccinated employees were taken off the job when the mandate went into effect last month. At the time, the Port Authority said about 80% of its 2,700 employees had gotten the shot.
The union representing Port Authority workers went to court to stop the mandate, but a judge sided with the agency.