Real Estate Industry Group and Union Reach Agreement on COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate Rules

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Photo by Alex Ronsdorf on Unsplash

The Realty Advisory Board on Labor Relations (RAB), the cross-employer association of city‘s real estate industry, and SEIU 32BJ, the union that employs 85,000 building technicians in the city, published a Comprehensive Memorandum of Agreement on Saturday, October 2nd, setting out rules for implementing COVID-19 vaccine requirements for employees who work in most city Building.

The agreement, which includes thousands of commercial and residential properties in the city, sets out the procedure and safety precautions that must be followed in the event a site or employer intends to implement a COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

Howard Rothschild, president of the Labor Relations Real Estate Advisory Council, said vaccinations are the best way to stop the spread of COVID-19 and his organization is proud to be working with 32BJ again on an agreement that will keep New York safe and moving forward walk. “The rules we have made for vaccine mandates will protect Employee, Renters, residents and visitors in thousands of commercial and residential buildings across the world City,Said Rothschild.

Meanwhile, SEIU 32BJ President Kyle Bragg said the spread of COVID-19, especially the Delta variant, continues to affect the way that cityWith commercial and residential buildings up and running, union officials look forward to working again with employers in the FAOA to clearly define how workers can proceed in the coming months to protect all New Yorkers and all building technicians during the City is held To move.

“Our workers have proudly and steadfastly served on the front lines of the pandemic for nearly two years and will continue to do so no matter what,” Bragg said. “It was important to provide guidance and protection to the people who do our service city‘s building during the vaccination process. “

The agreement requires employers who wish to issue a debt collection mandate Employee‘Give vaccination status information Employee one week to respond to the request for information on vaccination status. It also states that if employers want to require vaccination, Employee have at least four weeks in advance to get their first chance before the mandate goes into effect.

In addition, the agreement provides that Employee who are not vaccinated at the time a mandate takes effect and have no upcoming vaccination appointments or an approved religious or medical exception, have a choice of one of the following options; an unpaid leave of absence of up to four months, a leave of absence of up to six months or a separation from working life.

Employee those on leave can go back to work if they are vaccinated within the four months, and Employee Those who choose to take the six-month vacation can be recalled if the mandate is canceled at their workplace or if they get vaccinated.

In addition, the agreement includes an extension of the recall rights for Employee in commercial properties laid off from October 1, 2021 to March 1, 2022, continued cooperation between employers and the union to provide training and information on vaccination access and continued protection related to the use of PPE .

Representatives from the RAB said she and SEIU 32BJ made several agreements to address working conditions and worker protection during the COVID-19 pandemic, citing the example of using PPE. The most recent of these agreements in July looked at how employers can gather information about vaccination status, rules and procedures surrounding COVID-19 testing and the process of negotiating mandate requests at some locations.