New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday, Nov. 5, announced that the city will offer a second opportunity to employees who were terminated for failing to comply with the COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
The mandate, first issued in 2021 under the previous mayoral administration, required city employees to be vaccinated. Terminated workers can return to city service in their former civil service titles and at their former salaries.
Adams, who will leave office on Jan. 20 when a new mayor is sworn in, said this policy will apply to terminated employees in all mayoral agencies. It also applies at New York City Public Schools and the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA).
The mayor said about 1,500 terminated employees will be offered the chance to return to their same title at the current pay rate for that title. They will not receive credit for time not served, and have no right to backpay.
The mayor said that under his leadership, New York City has fully recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic. The city has seen record levels of jobs, small businesses, and more, along with the second-highest number of tourists in city history last year.
“The policies put in place before we came into office helped us weather more waves of COVID. Combined with our administration’s early policies, they helped New York City rebound. The city reached a record number of jobs, a record number of small businesses, near record tourism, and more,” Mayor Adams said.
“But we recognize that we are in a different place today than we were nearly four years ago, and our policies should match the realities of the times,” he added. “That’s why we are updating our policies to reflect our new health and economic reality, as we look forward to welcoming back many of our former employees to their former positions.
“Ensuring New York City has the strongest workforce possible will continue to make our city safer, more affordable, and the best place to raise a family,” the mayor continued.
“As we surpass five years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important to reevaluate policies to reflect current realities,” said New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) Commissioner Louis A. Molina. “We are committed to working with agencies to offer employment opportunities for employees terminated for failing to comply with the COVID-19 vaccine mandate.”
In 2023, Adams said his administration previously offered former employees who were terminated for not taking the COVID-19 vaccine a chance to return. About 450 terminated former employees came back to work as a result.
He said this new policy will again allow eligible employees who were terminated for not being vaccinated the option to return to city service. This is pursuant to a proposed rule change by DCAS, and is subject to a public hearing and approval by the New York state Civil Service Commission.
Adams said non-competitive employees are eligible to return to city employment without any change to existing civil service rules.
The mayor said New York City Public Schools school-based staff are also eligible to return to employment without a change in rules.
He said former employees who need a physical exam, fitness test, other training, or certification to return to their former position will still need to meet those requirements as a condition of reinstatement.
In addition, Adams said there will be a limited background review of subsequent history.
He said all former permanent competitive and labor class, non-competitive, or exempt employees who were terminated and are interested in returning to city service must contact the head of human resources at their former agency by Dec. 5, 2025.
Adams said employees terminated from New York City Public Schools should contact NYCPSServicereturn2025@schools.nyc.gov, and employees terminated from NYCHA should contact HR.Laborel@nycha.nyc.gov.
