UUP and a host of other unions have joined a statewide health care organization in opposing the state Department of Health (DOH) decision to force all state health care workers to get immunized against H1N1 influenza.

UUP, NYSUT, CSEA and PEF signed on to a Sept. 21 letter from the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (NYCOSH) to DOH Commissioner Richard Daines, urging him to withdraw the recently adopted emergency regulation to mandate the vaccination. New York is the only state with such a mandate.

“Forty-nine other states can’t be wrong,” noted UUP President Phillip Smith.

“UUP fully supports efforts to curb the spread of the H1N1 virus,” he added, “but a lot of our members don’t like to be ‘mandated’ to do anything. You get a lot further by asking than by demanding.”

“UUP believes it’s a personal choice and that’s the message we sent to the commissioner.”

The coalition’s letter argues that the DOH mandate has “serious flaws” that warrant its withdrawal. They are:

• Voluntary vaccination programs can result in immunization rates upwards of 80 percent;

• Vaccinations alone are not guaranteed to stop infection;

• Voluntary immunization is widely supported, including the Centers for Disease Control, the Federal Drug Administration, and the American Nurses Association;

• Adequate respiratory protection is a key factor;

• Limited vaccine supplies are not well considered; and

• The regulation does not take into account the impact on the health care system should employees have to use sick time due to a severe reaction to the vaccine.

During UUP’s recent Fall Delegate Assembly in Rochester, Smith told delegates that the union will argue that members made ill from the mandatory vaccination should not be charged sick time.

In addition to withdrawing the mandate, the coalition has asked DOH to create a task force to assist in developing a comprehensive approach to preventing the spread of flu.

NYCOSH is also pushing for DOH to revise its guidelines on respiratory protection to include use of a respirator over a surgical mask for people suspected or confirmed to have an infectious respiratory illness.

— Karen L. Mattison