No matter how controversial, Labor unions began with one sole purpose in mind: to protect workers. And while not all achieve that purpose well, if at all anymore, this week one proved that that is still their main goal.
Enter the Fraternal Order of Police, the nation’s largest union of sworn law enforcement officers, and charged with supporting and protecting some 356,000 members and 2,100 lodges nationwide.
As you well know, COVID-19 vaccines have been pushed on the American people for some time now, with some employers, both public and private, now choosing to mandate them. Similarly, some municipalities and local areas have begun to make vaccines mandatory for public service members. And that includes police officers.
However, as you can imagine, not everyone on any given police force is willing to jump through whatever hoops their city or city officials deem necessary. In fact, as Axios recently reported, there are “significant numbers” of refusing officers across the nation.
Take Denver, for instance. Here, 57 percent of all law enforcement have refused to get the vaccine thus far. But it’s been mandated for all public employees. And so the city’s Department of Public Safety’s executive director has said he’s preparing to fire any who continue to defy those orders.
San Francisco has made a similar mandate, as well as now requires proof of such vaccinations to be allowed in indoor venues. And yet, 20 percent of deputies and officers are not vaccinated yet.
And in New York City, with its ever-socialist mayor, Bill de Blasio has, of course, ordered all police, fire department employees, EMTs, etc., to be vaccinated. And naturally, should they refuse, de Blasio is threatening “consequences.”
Miami’s Chief of Police Art Acevedo has even said in a public interview that officers who don’t want to be vaccinated should “look for work elsewhere.”
Luckily, the FOP has stepped up to defend its members and protect their rights.
While they wholly condone and even encourage vaccination from its members, the union holds to the belief and fact that getting the vaccine is still a very personal choice. Should an officer not want to go through with being double jabbed, they shouldn’t have to.
And threatening them or talking about “consequences” isn’t going to help anyone.
The Fraternal Order of Police’s executive director, Jim Pasco, said in a recent statement and response to comments like those of Acevedo’s, “That’s management by tantrum. That’s not going to work. Have a conversation and encourage officers, but don’t act childish.”
I have to say that I agree.
I mean, how many of you, when you are explicitly told to do something or not to do something, have the initial reaction to rebel? I know I do. ‘Oh, you don’t want me to do that? Watch me…’
Now, I know this may not be the case for some, especially when your job relies on following orders as it does in law enforcement. But with that being said, these are individuals and, as such, they still have the right to their own personal choice.
And if a union does anything, it should be to defend those choices and rights – which is exactly what Pasco has promised to do.
He told Axios, “We are a union and we will defend our members. You cannot tell people what to do. It’s still an individual and personal choice.”
Now, of course, this is causing some problems, particularly in those liberal-held cities where vaccines have been mandated.
But I doubt that will discourage Pasco or anyone in the union with similar beliefs to let their officers be pushed into submission.
And it looks as though the willingness to buck the progressive agenda, or at least stand up for our Constitutional rights, is growing, albeit ever so slowly.
A total of three airlines – Delta, American, and Southwest – came out this week with a similar statement, saying that while they will continue to encourage their employees to be vaccinated, it will not be forced upon them, and neither will they require proof of such vaccines to work.