Massachusetts state police union sues governor over vaccine mandate

Massachusetts’s state police union filed a lawsuit last week in an effort to delay the implementation of Gov. Charlie Baker’s (R) executive order that requires state employees to be vaccinated by mid-October.

The State Police Association of Massachusetts, which represents 1,800 state troopers, filed a lawsuit last Friday asking for the delay so they could “negotiate the terms and conditions of their employment,” according to the lawsuit, The Boston Globe reported.

The union is also asking that troopers receive “presumptive protection” in case they get ill from the vaccine or COVID-19, The Associated Press reported.

It wants any injury or death related to the coronavirus to be considered “a line-of-duty injury” automatically, which would provide troopers with added benefits, the AP noted.

A spokesperson with the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security told The Hill that the administration does not comment on pending lawsuits.

A spokesperson for the state police union told The Hill that they were not making any statements on the hearing right now.

A hearing on the lawsuit is scheduled for Wednesday.

Last month, an executive order was issued by the Republican governor requiring state employees to prove that they are fully vaccinated by Oct. 17. Employees who are not fully vaccinated or have not been approved for an exemption by that time would face punitive action, including possibly being fired. Roughly 42,000 employees are affected under the policy, according to the Globe.

The union is asking to be allowed to mandate weekly testing and mask wearing for those who decide against being vaccinated, the Globe noted.

The state saw more than 1,532 new COVID-19 cases on Monday and 1,529 the day prior, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In comparison, cases were in the double digits in June and early July.

Roughly 88 percent of the state aged 12 years and older is fully vaccinated, and 77 percent are fully vaccinated, per CDC data.

Updated at 6:12 p.m.