Hamilton says 317 employees may be placed on unpaid leave due to vaccine mandate

The city of Hamilton says it expects more than 300 employees will be placed on unpaid leave as the city’s COVID-19 vaccination verification policy takes effect.

Starting Thursday, city staff who have not provided proof of two COVID-19 vaccine doses must enter the city’s COVID-19 Rapid Testing Program.

Testing kits are provided to employees free of charge and results must be submitted every Monday and Thursday.

Employees who do not submit their rapid test results will be placed on an unpaid leave of absence.

The city says the mandatory policy applies to all employees, including full-time, part-time, permanent, temporary, casual, volunteers, council members, members of council-appointed committees and students.

Roughly 317 employees from several departments and divisions across the city have not submitted proof of vaccination and have yet to pick up a rapid test kit.

The city said there were “larger pockets of non-compliant employees” in HSR with 5.6 per cent of bus operators; the Hamilton Fire Department with 6.1 per cent of firefighters; and Public Works staff with 6.9 per cent in waste and 8.2 per cent in parks and cemeteries.

Last week, the HSR said it had begun contingency planning for potential service disruptions caused by employees who have not yet complied with the city’s policy.

The transit provider said it will prioritize service at the start and end of the day to ensure customers can get where they need to go, identify high-frequency routes that may be modified where required and continuously monitor affected routes to protect service.

In a news release on Wednesday, HSR’s director of transit said employees are encouraged to comply with the vaccine policy.

“We know that our customers rely on us to get to their destinations on time and we’re doing everything we can to mitigate possible service impacts,” said Maureen Cosyn Heath. “Customers are encouraged to download the HSRnow app on their devices or monitor HSR’s social media channels for up-to-date service information.”

#HSRAlert: The following trips on #HSR51 University are cancelled on weekdays until further notice.

— Hamilton Street Railway (@hsr) November 4, 2021

#HSRAlert: #HSR51 EASTBOUND from West Hamilton Loop cancellations: 8:16am, 8:46am, 9:16am, 9:46am, 2:14pm, 2:44pm, 3:14pm, 3:44pm, 4:14pm, 4:44pm, 5:14pm, 5:47pm.

— Hamilton Street Railway (@hsr) November 4, 2021

The city of Hamilton says the policy does not mandate vaccination. However, it mandates the disclosure of vaccination status and testing for those who are not fully vaccinated.