I’m responding to your articles regarding Gov. Jay Inslee’s vaccine mandate.
I totally disagree with this proposal to fire individuals due to not getting the COVID-19 vaccine. Getting vaccinated or not is a person’s right to choose. Were these individuals hired on with a vaccination requirement clause?
One point I noticed in the articles was “the mandate will not apply to elected officials such as the secretary of state, attorney general or the commissioner of public lands.” Why are these folks exempt? Shouldn’t the mandate be the same for all government employees?
Will the folks who are fired be placed on paid leave so they can continue to support themselves? If not, who will help them with their mortgage, utilities and food for their families? If fired with no paid leave, will they be entitled to instant unemployment benefits and have continued health care coverage?
Once the pandemic is over, will these fired folks be offered their positions back with the same pay level and benefits that they left with?
I’m just wondering what new problems will be created by firing a good portion of the work force. I feel that frequent testing should be the first step to ensure that people have no symptoms. Maintain social distancing and masks, but please don’t put more people out of work.
C. Hill
Lewis County
