The Tucson City Council picked an incentive that matched its mood β punitive.
Pima County's Board of Supervisors picked a different kind of incentive that reflected its mood β pleading.
And the governor keeps picking incentives that tend to propagate the pandemic.
From school boards to the City Council to the governor's office, officials have been landing on ideas to mold people's response as Covid-19 surges again.
The results will tell us soon what seems to work better for getting employees vaccinated and people wearing masks indoors again β carrots or sticks. One thing for sure, in this tight job market, sticks are risky. Confrontation can lead to escalation, which can be counterproductive in the end.
The council was in no mood for caution or conciliation when it met Friday. Councilman Steve Kozachik laid it out most bluntly when he said, "I believe the ordinance should say get vaccinated by Sept. 25 or you forfeit your employment as a city worker."
But he wasn't the only one. Mayor Regina Romero reported that the father-in-law of one of her employees, vaccinated but immunocompromised, had just died of COVID-19.
"This is not about individual liberty," she said. "It is about protecting the health and rights of others to not be unnecessarily exposed to COVID-19 through no fault of their own."
Overall, the council was convinced it should tell city employees to get vaccinated by Aug. 24 or get the stick an unpaid, five-day suspension.Β
It's a brave but risky stand, a little confrontational. And, as the sole dissenting council member, Nikki Lee, said, it could mean the city losing more key employees and a further deterioration of core services.
What that means is more cops and firefighters may leave even as we're struggling to keep adequate staffing at both departments.
Indeed, on Monday, the Tucson Police Officers Association filed suit seeking an injunction against the city. They noted, aptly, that the mandate constituted a unilateral change in TPOA's negotiated terms and conditions of employment, at the same time the union is negotiating a new contract with the city.
You can't just unilaterally alter a contract like that.Β
Tucson's confrontational approach also brought escalation from the governor, though his move was probably impotent. Ducey issued an executive order Monday stating that any local governmental body mandating vaccines or masks violates state law and that the mandate constitutes a misdemeanor.Β
It's probably a meaningless move, as Tucson's city attorney said, since the law Ducey was referencing doesn't take effect till Sept. 29.Β
The city's punitive policy was closer to what Pima County Supervisor Matt Heinz wanted the county to embrace. Heinz proposed mandating masks in schools in Pima County, among other measures.
When the chair of the board, Sharon Bronson, tried to delay considering Heinz's proposal altogether, he tweeted out her office phone number and asked people to call and complain.Β
In the end, though, the board acted more like Nikki Lee. They were cautious, offering a $300 bonus and three days off to any Pima County employee who gets vaccinated. Those already vaccinated also can take advantage of the offer.
It's a carrot, but with the threat of the stick. When the board gets back together Sept. 7, they will consider raising health-insurance rates for county employees who do not get vaccinated.
The county did not get any unwanted attention from its employees or the governor.Β
Ducey also wants into the incentive game, but he seems to have misunderstood the purpose of it β to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Instead, Ducey issued a coronavirus-supporting executive order Tuesday that gives financial incentives to schools who don't follow public-health guidelines.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Academy of Pediatrics and other experts say children should be wearing masks in schools. That's because universal masking is a good way to reduce the spread of the virus, and children under 12 can't get vaccinated.
But Ducey is following a GOP political effort that represents the height of cynicism. The GOP, as reported by CNN, Politico and other outlets, has determined that fighting mask and vaccine mandates is politically beneficial.Β
While the general public supports these mandates, a Morning Consult Poll showed, GOP voters are opposed. So stirring up opposition to a helpful public-health move such as universal masking in schools actually pays short-term political dividends.
Shaking up the debate over whether carrots or sticks work better to motivate people to fight the pandemic, Ducey has used incentives to support the pandemic and encourage the spread of COVID-19.Β
Perversely, he says he wants to ban mask mandates in order to keep schools open. That does not compute. You keep schools open by stopping the spread of the virus.
Assuming you actually want that, it's an open question as to whether the city's punitive approach or the county's pleading one will lead to more vaccinations among employees.
My bet is on the county's approach β at least at first. It delays confrontation until definitely necessary.
