Pima County says nearly 2,000 unvaccinated employees subject to vaccine mandate

Nearly 2,000 county employees who work with vulnerable populations are subject to a new policy to get vaccinated by Jan. 1 or face termination, the Pima County Board of Supervisors decided in a 4-1 vote Tuesday

The board approved a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for employees working with vulnerable populations on Oct. 19, but didn’t specify which employees would be required to adhere to the policy.

The latest vaccination numbers show 82% of 6,305 active county employees confirmed their vaccination status as of Nov. 1. The Sheriff’s Department continues to have the lowest vaccination rate at 62% while 10 departments are fully vaccinated, according to the county.

Now, 1,912 employees the county determined work with vulnerable populations who remain unvaccinated by Jan. 1 are subject to “disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment,” but the logistics of that enforcement mechanism haven't been specified, and it’s not clear how many of those employees are already vaccinated.

Chief Deputy County Administrator Jan Lesher, who is filling in for County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry as he recovers from a bicycle accident, said the board can give direction to outline a disciplinary process in the future that may include implementing suspensions before terminations, following a similar route the city of Tucson has taken for its vaccine mandate.

But some employees who fall under the Pima County Merit System may have progressive disciplinary action that precedes suspensions and terminations with letters of reprimand, according to an Oct. 21 memo from Huckelberry.

County administration is defining the category of county employees subject to the mandate as: “Those confined either in a detention or correctional facility as well as those that may be in a nursing home and/or assisted living facility or who provide direct services to children or the elderly on a regular or recurring basis.”

The county identified 11 of 41 departments where workers meet this definition. The departments with the highest numbers of these employees include the sheriff’s department at 585, county libraries at 267 and the health department at 250.

While it’s not clear what percent of the identified employees have been vaccinated, the overall vaccination rates for these departments as of Nov. 1 are 62%, 83% and 88%, respectively.

Each appointing authority in the county provided county administration a list of job classifications that work with with vulnerable populations. Lesher said administration then looked at each department to “identify those individuals in detail.”

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“We have done the homework and that’s what is reflected in this to provide real specifics regarding which employees work with those populations rather than simply the broad version of a classification,” she said.

Supervisor Adelita Grijalva said the list of employees subject to the mandate could have been more extensive considering the many county workers who are considered vulnerable to COVID-19 themselves.

“I would have been in favor of moving towards broadening vulnerable populations,” she said. “I do think that we work in Pima County with people, our co-workers, that could be part of vulnerable populations.”

Supervisor Steve Christy, the sole dissenting vote on the matter, expressed concern similar to the three city councilmembers who voted against terminating employees who remain unvaccinated by Dec. 1: a staffing crisis among already short-staffed departments.

Not only does the Sheriff’s Department have the highest number of employees subject to the mandate and lowest vaccination rates, but it’s experiencing a serious staffing shortage and turnover challenges.

“We are going to incur many unintended consequences over this,” Christy said. “When we have law enforcement officials that are going to quit and go elsewhere, in an already understaffed situation, that is a perilous journey for the residents of Pima County that this board is imposing on employees that are there to protect the public and public safety.”

The board also approved Lesher’s recommendation to bring back a vote on making court-related positions subject to the mandate after the state Supreme Court rules on the ability of courts to mandate COVID-19 protocols. The county’s courts operate under a presiding judge and the Arizona Office of the Courts.

On Oct. 19, supervisors also voted to require all new county employees to be vaccinated, prevent unvaccinated employees from participating in off-duty employment and renew vaccination incentives that previously expired on Oct. 1.

The board voted on Aug. 16 to give a one-time $300 payment and three days of leave to employees vaccinated by Oct. 1. Those incentives are now renewed for employees vaccinated by Nov. 1, while those vaccinated by Nov. 30 will get $200 and two days of leave, and those who meet a Dec. 31 deadline will get $100 and one day of leave.