Thousands of unvaccinated New York municipal workers could lose jobs Friday

Thousands of unvaccinated New York City municipal workers are up against a deadline on Friday to get a Covid-19 shot or get fired, with Mayor Eric Adams apparently determined to carry out the terminations despite an outcry from union leaders.

Fewer than 4,000 of the city's 370,000 workers were facing termination at the end of January as a result of the mandate, according to the mayor's office, which said it expected to have an updated number of affected city employees on Monday.

Although the latest number would represent only roughly 1% of the city's workforce, it would be one of the biggest worker reductions in the United States due to a vaccine requirement.

"We're not firing them - people are quitting," Adams said in response to a question about the vaccine mandate at a Thursday news conference in the Bronx, where he was announcing a healthy food initiative.

"I want them to stay, I want them to be employees of the city, but they have to follow the rules," he said.