NYC sanitation workers suspended for using fake vaccine cards

The vaccine mandate for municipal workers took effect on November 1st. Around 9000 workers who had not received the vaccine were put on immediate leave without pay and many others were applying for exemptions on religious and medical grounds. As a result, during the past few months, vaccination rates have increased among city employees. The Department of Sanitation was especially credited for the single-day increase of 9 percentage points. 

Therefore, it came as a shock when dozens of NYC sanitation workers were suspended without pay for using fake vaccination cards. The investigation for the same is underway, it will include a thorough rundown of all the vaccination records to identify the fraudulent ones. A city spokesperson alleges that over 10,000 workers that are 87% have received at least one shot. Press secretary of the Department of Sanitation, Vincent Gragnani said that they were taking this issue very seriously as it is a matter of public health and safety and they are actively investigating it. It hasn't been decided if criminal charges will be pursued, in the past New Yorkers have been criminally charged for using fake vaccine cards. President of Teamsters Local 831 union Harry Nespoli said that the investigation is still underway and nothing is proven yet. Nespoli and the union which represents sanitation workers have been against the vaccine mandate from the get-go. He instead urged authorities to use the testing option. 

Source: The New York Times