As vaccine mandate looms, NYC correction officers may have to work 12-hour tours

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Mayor de Blasio issued an executive order Monday giving the city jails boss the power to shift correction officers to 12-hour tours amid an ongoing staffing crisis and continuing resistance to vaccinations.

De Blasio’s order comes ahead of a deadline on Tuesday at 5 p.m. for Department of Correction employees to show proof of vaccination. As of 5 on Nov. 22, DOC’s vaccination rate was 72%.

In addition to 12-hour tours, the order gives Correction Commissioner Vincent Schiraldi the power to “take any other measures necessary to address the current staffing shortage.”

The order blames “excessive staff absenteeism” among correction officers and supervisors for increased disorder in the jails. The lack of staff has resulted in reduced services for inmates. Correction officers often aren’t available to take detainees to medical clinics for treatment.

The vaccine mandate is already in effect for other city agencies, including the Education Department and NYPD. Those agencies saw a significant increase in vaccinations just before the mandate kicked in.

De Blasio extended the mandate deadline for DOC employees as the Correction Department struggles to maintain control of the jails while addressing an unprecedented staffing crisis.

Any correction officer who cannot show proof of vaccination Wednesday will be placed on leave without pay, according to a Nov. 24 memo issued by Schiraldi.

Those officers could also be reassigned when they return. They will have to surrender their shield, firearms, ID, and access pass to Rikers, the memo said.

Many correction officers have already been working double- and triple-tours due to a staffing shortfall that has lasted for months. The de Blasio administration and the union that represents correction officers have been trading blame for the situation for just as long.