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By Tom Ozimek from afternoon times
coalition of Oregon Police officers and firefighters sued Governor Kate Brown over COVID-19 Vaccine mandate for state employees.
Prosecutors—including the Oregon Police Fraternity and the Kingsley Firefighters Association—argued in lawsuit filed Friday in Jefferson County Court (PDF) that Brown’s executive order violates a number of laws and wants to block it.
“The plaintiffs are seeking an order declaring Executive Order 21-29 unenforceable because it contravenes the laws of the State of Oregon, may result in the plaintiffs being discharged under common law, contravenes the Oregon Constitution’s guarantee of free speech, and contravenes the United States Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection, and free exercise, and due process of law,” the complaint states.
Brown issued an executive order (PDF) on August 13 that imposed a mandatory vaccination requirement on all executive branch employees. In the order, Brown said that so far, about 70 percent of state executive branch employees have taken the vaccine voluntarily, spurred in part by state efforts such as organizing on-site vaccine clinics and financial incentives.
Pointing to the rise in COVID-19 cases, Brown noted that public and private employers across the United States have enforced mandates, and said it was time for tougher action in Oregon.
“As Delta variable rages in Oregon, with the state’s ability to fully return to personal work continuing to be hampered by the risks of COVID-19, following the implementation of a series of incentives aimed at achieving voluntary compliance, and with full FDA approval of a COVID-19 vaccine Expected within weeks, it is time to vaccinate any remaining state employees and those with whom they work in state government.
The order gives Oregon employees until October 18 to provide proof of vaccination or face consequences that may include dismissal.
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Ten days after Brown’s order, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave Full regulatory approval Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
In the complaint, the plaintiffs argued that carrying out the order would result in wrongful termination, and asked the court to declare it illegal and to obstruct its enforcement.
“Individual plaintiffs are executive branch employees… who want to exercise control over their medical treatment and are forced to choose between their privileges and freedoms as citizens on the one hand and their employment, careers, and financial future on the other,” the complaint states.
The Epoch Times has reached out to the governor’s office for comment on the lawsuit.
Brown’s spokeswoman, Liz Merah, defended the executive order in a statement to The Associated Press.
“Given the gravity of the situation, employer vaccination requirements have become an important tool, and state government is playing a role. It is essential to protect state employees, workplaces and facilities, as well as members of the public using state services,” she told the media.
The lawsuit comes as Oregon has faced a sharp rise in COVID-19 infections in recent weeks, with a seven-day average of 2,222 cases per day on September 2, compared to less than 500 in mid-July, to me government health authorities.
its source ZeroHedge
picture: Pixabay
