“One of the things that I’m wrestling with is . . . how committed should I be to this career that I love so much when we’ve been treated this way—and the lack of decency in our return to work and the lack of decency for the people that are still out of work now. . . . I think a lot of us try to answer that question: To what extent am I going to remain committed to a city that’s treated people this way, or an agency that’s treated people this way, or my neighbors who segregated me from society? To what extent is this my home?” - Matt ConnorThe New York Mandate Podcast is subscriber-supported. To receive new episodes and support my work, become a free or paid subscriber.In this episode of the New York Mandate Podcast, I talk with Matt Connor, a lieutenant with the New York City Fire Department. He was inspired by the events of 9/11 to join the department and worked through the height of the 2020 pandemic before being put on leave without pay for refusing to comply with the NYC’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for City workers.Matt talked with me about what it was like to work through the pandemic; how NYC’s many restrictions affected him as a father, museum educator, and student; and how he and other workers came together to form Bravest for Choice and the National Coalition of Frontline Workers. We also talked about current legal and legislative efforts to get New York City workers who lost their jobs under the mandates reinstated.If you think it’s important for people to hear Matt’s story, please share it!Here are some links related to things we talked about during the episode:New York State Senate Bill S7466A and Assembly Bill A9196These bills if passed will require the reinstatement of New York City employees who were dismissed from employment due to a COVID-19 vaccine requirement.New York City Council Resolution 0005-2024New York City Councilwoman Joann Ariola held a February 8, 2024, press conference at City Hall along with other members of City Council’s Common Sense Caucus, Bravest for Choice, and other City workers who were forced out of their jobs under the City’s mandates. Ariola announced a resolution backing New York State bills S7466A/A9196 to reinstate City workers. She introduced the resolution at a City Council meeting later that day.National Coalition of Frontline WorkersThis organization was founded by frontline workers, many of whom lost their jobs or were subject to other penalties under COVID-19 vaccine mandates. It advocates for frontline workers including law enforcement, firefighters, emergency workers, and health care workers.Bravest for ChoiceThis organization advocates for NYC firefighters, fire inspectors, and EMS workers who were terminated or put on leave because they did not comply with the City’s vaccine mandates.“Key to NYC” Vaccination Mandate Executive OrderThe “Key to NYC” mandate required both employees and patrons of restaurants, entertainment and cultural venues, and gyms to show proof of vaccination. It began on August 17, 2021, and was lifted on March 7, 2022.Order of the Commissioner of Health and Mental Hygiene to Require COVID-19 Vaccination for City Employees and Certain City ContractorsThis is the order that former Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi issued on October 20, 2021 requiring New York City municipal employees and contractors to be vaccinated.About the New York Mandate PodcastThe New York Mandate Podcast is an ongoing series of conversations exploring the costs and consequences of vaccine mandates in New York City. I talk with workers, students, and parents who have been directly affected by the mandates, as well as legal and policy experts.In late 2021, the City introduced a series of requirements for workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. These requirements were put in place through executive orders issued by the administration of former mayor Bill de Blasio. They covered nearly all workers in New York City, in both the public and private sectors. They also barred unvaccinated adults, including parents, from schools.Current mayor Eric Adams kept the mandates in place until November 1, 2022 for the private sector and February 10, 2023 for City workers, and has encouraged private employers to put their own vaccine requirements in place.The views expressed in the New York Mandate podcast are the personal opinions of the people speaking, and are not intended to provide medical or legal advice.Join the ConversationHave you lost your job, been put on leave, or lost opportunities to work as an independent contractor as a result of your decision not to comply with a vaccine mandate in New York? Did you take a vaccine against your wishes in order to keep your job? Please get in touch with me at [email protected]. Get full access to No One You Know at nooneyouknow.substack.com/subscribe

“I want to live in a place that has real participatory society that isn’t top down and isn’t run by gangsters. I feel like New York is run—it’s like Boss Tweed all over again. You don’t have any say. There’s a lot of bullying and a lot of just not caring about people and not being respectful of the trust that your citizens have put in you. . . . So I don’t want to live in a place like that, even if it’s my place.” - Diane PagenThe New York Mandate Podcast is subscriber-supported. To receive new episodes and support my work, become a free or paid subscriber.In this episode of the New York Mandate Podcast, I talk with Diane Pagen, a social worker with 18 years of experience. She had been working for the New York City Department of Education for over six of those years when the DOE announced its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all employees in late 2021.Diane was put on leave without pay for not complying with the mandate, and received an unsigned termination letter in February 2022. Unable to find sufficient employment in New York with mandates still in place in both the public and private sectors, she sought work elsewhere and eventually moved out of state.Diane is also a social policy analyst and writer. She talked with me about what it was like to work through the pandemic as a school social worker, her experience with the mandate, and the political, social, and financial forces at play in her hometown. We began our conversation in February 2023, when she was moving out of the city, and sat down for a longer conversation later that year.If you think it’s important for people to hear Diane’s story, please share it!More from Diane: Diane Pagen’s website Diane Pagen is a social worker and a social policy analyst and writer. Her site is a human forum to discuss the consequences of social and economic policies.New York City Department of Health Gives $35 Million for Pro-Vax DoctorsDiane wrote this article published by DailyClout.I lost my NYC school job to the vaccine mandate — and all New Yorkers are losing tooDiane wrote this article published by the New York Post.Here are some links related to things we talked about during the episode:Announcement of NYC Department of Education Employee Vaccine Mandate This is the August 23, 2021, announcement of the vaccine mandate for New York City Department of Education employees by then Mayor Bill de Blasio, Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter, and Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi.About the New York Mandate PodcastThe New York Mandate Podcast is an ongoing series of conversations exploring the costs and consequences of vaccine mandates in New York City. I talk with workers, students, and parents who have been directly affected by the mandates, as well as legal and policy experts.In late 2021, the City introduced a series of requirements for workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. These requirements were put in place through executive orders issued by the administration of former mayor Bill de Blasio. They covered nearly all workers in New York City, in both the public and private sectors. They also barred unvaccinated adults, including parents, from schools.Current mayor Eric Adams kept the mandates in place until November 1, 2022 for the private sector and February 10, 2023 for City workers, and has encouraged private employers to put their own vaccine requirements in place.The views expressed in the New York Mandate podcast are the personal opinions of the people speaking, and are not intended to provide medical or legal advice.Join the ConversationHave you lost your job, been put on leave, or lost opportunities to work as an independent contractor as a result of your decision not to comply with a vaccine mandate in New York? Did you take a vaccine against your wishes in order to keep your job? Please get in touch with me at [email protected]. Get full access to No One You Know at nooneyouknow.substack.com/subscribe

“As an unvaccinated person, they're saying to me that there's something possibly wrong with you, that you're sick, you're ill, you have to prove your innocence. You have to prove that you are worthy of continuing to participate in society, which I find to be a complete reworking of the social contract that I was born into.” - Addison ReevesIf you think it’s important for people to hear Addison’s story, please share it!In this episode of the New York Mandate Podcast, I talk with Addison Reeves, who was fired for not complying with New York State’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for state agency employees, and moved out of New York State. She is an attorney and writer, who critiques U.S. political culture and pandemic policies on her blog, Modern Heretic.Unlike the New York City mandates, the state agency mandate included a testing option. Reeves talked with me about her reasons for objecting to the test-or-vax mandate and what it was like to be a mandate dissident in social and professional circles that were very supportive of restrictive pandemic policies.She also talked about the role of technology, the normalization of adult vaccination requirements, and how her experiences have changed her views on our political and legal systems, and on humanity.The New York Mandate Podcast and No One You Know are reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.More from Addison Reeves:Modern HereticAddison Reeves’s blog.“It’s just…” – Why I Won’t SubmitThe Off Guardian published this piece by Addison Reeves in August 2021.Here are some links related to things we talked about during the episode:Governor Andrew Cuomo announces state worker mandateIn this July 28, 2021 announcement, then-governor Cuomo announced that the approximately 130,000 New York State workers would be required to take a COVID-19 vaccine or be tested weekly. The mandate was implmented by his successor, Kathy Hochul, and went into effect on October 12, 2021. “Key to NYC” Vaccination Mandate Executive OrderThe “Key to NYC” mandate required both employees and patrons of restaurants, entertainment venues, and gyms to show proof of vaccination. It began on August 17, 2021, and was lifted on March 7, 2022.Ivan IllichAddison Reeves mentioned this theologian, philosopher, and social critic and as her favorite political thinker during our conversation.About the New York Mandate PodcastThe New York Mandate Podcast is an ongoing series of conversations exploring the costs and consequences of vaccine mandates in New York City. I talk with workers, students, and parents who have been directly affected by the mandates, as well as legal and policy experts.In late 2021, the City introduced a series of requirements for workers and to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. These requirements were put in place through executive orders issued by the administration of former mayor Bill de Blasio. They covered nearly all workers in New York City, in both the public and private sectors. They also barred unvaccinated adults, including parents, from schools.Current mayor Eric Adams kept the mandates in place until November 1, 2022 for the private sector and February 10, 2023 for City workers, and has encouraged private employers to put their own vaccine requirements in place.The views expressed in the New York Mandate podcast are the personal opinions of the people speaking, and are not intended to provide medical or legal advice.Join the ConversationHave you lost your job, been put on leave, or lost opportunities to work as a result of your decision not to comply with a New York vaccine mandate? Did you take a vaccine against your wishes in order to keep your job? Please get in touch with me at [email protected]. Get full access to No One You Know at nooneyouknow.substack.com/subscribe

“I don't think we've seen the end of the vaccine litigation. I think it's just starting. . . . Courts go back and forth—it depends upon the judge, depends upon the court—but they're sticking to the COVID vaccine as being a mandate of employment and a requirement that employees just have to live with, unfortunately.” - Austin GraffThis post is public, so feel free to share it!In this episode of the New York Mandate Podcast, I talk with Austin Graff about labor laws and employees’ rights in the private sector in New York. Graff has over 22 years of experience as a labor and employment attorney, and is currently representing plaintiffs in federal lawsuits involving New York City’s public-sector COVID-19 vaccine mandates.Although New York City’s government-ordered COVID-19 mandates for employment are no longer in effect, a substantial number of employers in the private sector have kept vaccination requirements in place. They are more common in some job sectors, such as social and medical services, but can be found attached to a wide variety of jobs.I asked Graff to explain some of the legal obligations employers have, the obligations of unions, and which organizations and agencies can help workers who have complaints related to vaccination requirements in the private sector.The New York Mandate Podcast and No One You Know are reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Below are some links to agencies we talked about during the episode. They offer detailed information on workforce protections and rights, contacts for inquiries, and processes for filing complaints.National Labor Relations BoardThe NLRB is an independent federal agency that enforces the National Labor Relations Act. It provides processes for filing complaints against both employers and unions.U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity CommissionThe EEOC enforces federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or employee because of the person's race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, transgender status, and sexual orientation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information.New York State Division of Human RightsThis agency enforces New York State’s Human Rights Law.New York City Commission on Human RightsThis city agency enforces NYC’s Human Rights Law.New York State Department of LaborThe state DOL website provides information about workforce protections, reasonable accommodations, and how to file discrimination complaints. About the New York Mandate PodcastThe New York Mandate Podcast is an ongoing series of conversations exploring the costs and consequences of vaccine mandates in New York City. I talk with workers, students, and parents who have been directly affected by the mandates, as well as legal and policy experts.In late 2021, the City introduced a series of requirements for workers and to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. These requirements were put in place through executive orders issued by the administration of former mayor Bill de Blasio. They covered nearly all workers in New York City, in both the public and private sectors. They also barred unvaccinated adults, including parents, from schools.Current mayor Eric Adams kept the mandates in place until November 1, 2022 for the private sector and February 10, 2023 for City workers, and has encouraged private employers to put their own vaccine requirements in place.The views expressed in the New York Mandate podcast are the personal opinions of the people speaking, and are not intended to provide medical or legal advice.Join the ConversationHave you lost your job, been put on leave, or lost opportunities to work as a result of your decision not to comply with a New York vaccine mandate? Did you take a vaccine against your wishes in order to keep your job? Please get in touch with me at [email protected]. Get full access to No One You Know at nooneyouknow.substack.com/subscribe

“I always feel that I’m in the company of some really kickass, strong people that are very brave. Even though they’ve lost everything, they’re still fighting. It’s not just me and my little group of people. There are other people out there that are in the same position that I am—probably thousands. Millions, maybe.” - ShellieThe New York Mandate Podcast is subscriber-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a subscriber.In this episode of the New York Mandate Podcast, I talk with Shellie. She’s a hair and makeup artist who works in the film and television industry, as well as a vocalist and song writer. She was barred from working by both entertainment industry COVID-19 vaccine mandates and New York City’s mandate for private sector workers, and she recently left New York City and moved to New Jersey with her son.Shellie talked with me about how unvaccinated workers were labelled and stigmatized before the mandates barred them from working, the lack of union support and legal recourse she encountered, and how back-to-back work shortages caused by pandemic shutdowns, mandates, and strikes have affected her life.We also talked about what it was like to be a parent during the period of remote schooling in New York City. Shellie’s son joined our conversation to talk about his experience with remote schooling and how things are going for him now. We spoke just before the new school year began. If you think it’s important for people to hear Shellie’s story, please share it!More from Shellie:You can get in touch with Shellie at: [email protected]’s Cash App: $Shellieb Here are some links related to things we talked about during the episode:Governor Hochul Signs Legislation to Improve State Response to COVID-19 PandemicOn December 22, 2021, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation making falsification of COVID-19 vaccination cards​ a class D felony and creating a new E felony of computer tampering in the third degree for intentional entering, alteration, or destruction of "computer material" regarding COVID-19 vaccine provisions. Over the next year, 15 people were arrested and prosecuted for felony offenses related to falsified documents, including 13 who purchased fake cards.U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity CommissionThe EEOC enforces federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or employee because of the person's race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, transgender status, and sexual orientation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information.The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States, Its Territories and Canada (IATSE)This union represents over 168,000 workers in theater, motion picture, and television production, trade shows and exhibitions, television broadcasting, and concerts, as well as equipment and construction shops that support the entertainment industry.American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO)The AFL-CIO is the largest union federation in the United States, comprising 60 national and international labor unions. It is a major lobbying and political organization.Order of the Commissioner of Health and Mental Hygiene to Require COVID-19 Vaccination in the WorkplaceThis is the order that former Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi issued on December 13, 2021 requiring all workers in New York City who work in a workplace or interact with other workers or the public to be vaccinated. It went into effect on December 27, 2021, covering nearly all private-sector workers in New York City, and was lifted on November 1, 2022.Mandatory Vaccinations On Productions An Option Under Return-To-Work Protocols – UpdateThis July 2021 article in Deadline reports on the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccine mandates in the entertainment industry.About the New York Mandate PodcastThe New York Mandate Podcast is an ongoing series of conversations exploring the costs and consequences of vaccine mandates in New York City. I talk with workers, students, and parents who have been directly affected by the mandates, as well as legal and policy experts.In late 2021, the City introduced a series of requirements for workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. These requirements were put in place through executive orders issued by the administration of former mayor Bill de Blasio. They covered nearly all workers in New York City, in both the public and private sectors. They also barred unvaccinated adults, including parents, from schools.Current mayor Eric Adams kept the mandates in place until November 1, 2022 for the private sector and February 10, 2023 for City workers, and has encouraged private employers to put their own vaccine requirements in place.The views expressed in the New York Mandate podcast are the personal opinions of the people speaking, and are not intended to provide medical or legal advice.Join the ConversationHave you lost your job, been put on leave, or lost opportunities to work as an independent contractor as a result of your decision not to comply with a vaccine mandate in New York? Did you take a vaccine against your wishes in order to keep your job? Please get in touch with me at [email protected]. Get full access to No One You Know at nooneyouknow.substack.com/subscribe

“The type of groupthink, witchhunt mentality, the sort of uncritical views that many have taken during this time are reminiscent of the times of ascendancy for the Bolsheviks in the Soviet Union, or the Nazis in Germany, or the CCP in communist China. So that's what frightens me, as a history teacher. We study these things and we go, ‘How could everyday people go along with this oppression?’ . . . But we see it time and time again in history. We see the common tools being used—fear, censorship, the othering of people. So that's what authoritarian or totalitarian regimes will do to force compliance.” - DougThe New York Mandate Podcast is subscriber-supported. To receive new episodes and support my work, become a free or paid subscriber.In this episode of the New York Mandate Podcast, I talk with a former New York City high school history teacher who had taught for 13 years when he lost his job under the Department of Education’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Both he and his wife requested religious exemptions to the mandate and were denied, before being put on leave without pay and then fired. He talked with me about leaving New York City, where he and his family had spent their lives, moving to a small town, and delving into homesteading, homeschooling, permaculture, and building a life with faith at its center. He also talked about what it was like to go before an appeals panel as part of his effort to obtain a religious exemption, the legal cases working their way through the court system, and the historical parallels he sees with authoritarian measures taken during the pandemic.If you think it’s important for people to hear Doug’s story, please share it!More from Doug: If you’d like to get in touch with Doug to talk more about homeschooling, homesteading, and making a transition from urban to rural life, please leave a message for him in the comments or send it to me at [email protected]. I’ll pass any messages I receive along to him.Here are some links related to things we talked about during the episode:Homeschool New York (NYS Loving Education At Home)Homeschool New York is a statewide organization dedicated to supporting and promoting home education throughout New York State.Live Not by LiesSoviet writer and dissident Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn released this essay in 1974, just before he was arrested and sent into exile. WWOOF (Willing Workers On Organic Farms)This international organization enables people to stay and volunteer on a variety of organic properties, allowing volunteer workers to learn about organic farming.Educators for FreedomThis group of teachers, staff, parents, and supporters formed in response to New York City’s Department of Education COVID-19 vaccine mandates. “Key to NYC” Vaccination Mandate Executive OrderThe “Key to NYC” mandate required both employees and patrons of restaurants, entertainment venues, and gyms to show proof of vaccination. It began on August 17, 2021, and was lifted on March 7, 2022.Announcement of NYC Department of Education Employee Vaccine Mandate This is the August 23, 2021, announcement of the vaccine mandate for New York City Department of Education employees by then Mayor Bill de Blasio, Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter, and Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi.Doug also mentioned my previous conversations with fellow history teacher James and social studies teacher Jennifer, as well as remarks that former DSNY worker Danny Hulkower made during a recent conversation outside the Richmond County Courthouse. About the New York Mandate PodcastThe New York Mandate Podcast is an ongoing series of conversations exploring the costs and consequences of vaccine mandates in New York City. I talk with workers, students, and parents who have been directly affected by the mandates, as well as legal and policy experts.In late 2021, the City introduced a series of requirements for workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. These requirements were put in place through executive orders issued by the administration of former mayor Bill de Blasio. They covered nearly all workers in New York City, in both the public and private sectors. They also barred unvaccinated adults, including parents, from schools.Current mayor Eric Adams kept the mandates in place until November 1, 2022 for the private sector and February 10, 2023 for City workers, and has encouraged private employers to put their own vaccine requirements in place.The views expressed in the New York Mandate podcast are the personal opinions of the people speaking, and are not intended to provide medical or legal advice.Join the ConversationHave you lost your job, been put on leave, or lost opportunities to work as an independent contractor as a result of your decision not to comply with a vaccine mandate in New York? Did you take a vaccine against your wishes in order to keep your job? Please get in touch with me at [email protected]. Get full access to No One You Know at nooneyouknow.substack.com/subscribe

“I'm waiting for people to take accountability and say, ‘Listen, I messed up,’ or ‘I'm so sorry that I judged,’ or any of that. I don't think that's really ever happened. . . . It's just like, poof, it's gone, and everyone's supposed to get back to their normal lives. And there's no normalcy for those of us who lost our careers. Some people have lost their homes. The connections that I've lost, and having to work to build again—it’s really, really sad.” - Hilary ShawnThe New York Mandate Podcast is subscriber-supported. To receive new episodes and support my work, become a free or paid subscriber.In this episode of the New York Mandate Podcast, I talk with Hilary Shawn. She’s a hair and makeup artist with over 22 years of experience who works in the entertainment industry as well as with private and corporate clients. After her request for a medical exemption to COVID-19 vaccine mandates was denied, she lost most of her entertainment industry and corporate work.Hilary talked with me about how she has handled the financial and professional hit by pivoting to pursuing her other work as an intuitive coach, moving from a Brooklyn brownstone apartment to an RV in Pennsylvania, and creating new opportunities to learn and explore the world for her young daughter.Hilary also gave me a tour of the RV she and her daughter are now calling home. You can check it out at the end of this episode. If you think it’s important for people to hear Hilary’s story, please share it!More from Hilary Shawn:Healing with Hilary ShawnHilary Shawn’s healing website.Hilary Shawn on Instagram: @healingwithhilaryshawn: healing@hilaryshawnhmua: hair & makeup Here are some links related to things we talked about during the episode:Order of the Commissioner of Health and Mental Hygiene to Require COVID-19 Vaccination in the WorkplaceThis is the order that former Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi issued on December 13, 2021 requiring all workers in New York City who work in a workplace or interact with other workers or the public to be vaccinated. It went into effect on December 27, 2021, covering nearly all private-sector workers in New York City, and was lifted on November 1, 2022.Mandatory Vaccinations On Productions An Option Under Return-To-Work Protocols – UpdateThis July 2021 article in Deadline reports on the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccine mandates in the entertainment industry.82 Teachers Accused of Using Fake Vax Cards Ordered Back on City PayrollThis New York Post article covers the case of public school teachers who were accused of using fake vaccine cards. Some were later reinstated after legal action.About the New York Mandate PodcastThe New York Mandate Podcast is an ongoing series of conversations exploring the costs and consequences of vaccine mandates in New York City. I talk with workers, students, and parents who have been directly affected by the mandates, as well as legal and policy experts.In late 2021, the City introduced a series of requirements for workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. These requirements were put in place through executive orders issued by the administration of former mayor Bill de Blasio. They covered nearly all workers in New York City, in both the public and private sectors. They also barred unvaccinated adults, including parents, from schools.Current mayor Eric Adams kept the mandates in place until November 1, 2022 for the private sector and February 10, 2023 for City workers, and has encouraged private employers to put their own vaccine requirements in place.The views expressed in the New York Mandate podcast are the personal opinions of the people speaking, and are not intended to provide medical or legal advice.Join the ConversationHave you lost your job, been put on leave, or lost opportunities to work as an independent contractor as a result of your decision not to comply with a vaccine mandate in New York? Did you take a vaccine against your wishes in order to keep your job? Please get in touch with me at [email protected]. Get full access to No One You Know at nooneyouknow.substack.com/subscribe

“What people don't understand is that this plandemic has ruined lives, has made us destitute, has evicted some of us, made some of us homeless, has had a lot of us commit suicide. This is very real, and it's not over. It's not over by a damn sight. We have to keep fighting.” - Virginia AlleyneThe New York Mandate Podcast is subscriber-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, become a free or paid subscriber.In this episode of the New York Mandate podcast, I talk with Virginia Alleyne, a server who has worked in the restaurant industry for 30 years, as well as holding other jobs in the service industry. She had worked for 17 years at Yankee Stadium when that place of employment, along with her other employers, shut down due to New York State pandemic restrictions. She later lost two jobs under New York City’s private-sector COVID-19 vaccine mandate, and Yankee Stadium kept its COVID-19 vaccination requirement in place after the City officially ended the mandate. Yankee Stadium has not responded to inquiries about its current vaccination policies.Alleyne talked with me about what it was like as a longtime service industry worker and parent to face multiple mandates and other pandemic business shutdowns. We also talked about censorship, the obstacles she’s still facing, and the lawsuit she brought against Mayor Eric Adams and the private-sector mandate. If you think it’s important for people to hear Virginia’s story, please share it!More from Virginia Alleyne:”Stand with Virginia” GiveSendGoA friend of Virginia Alleyne set up this GiveSendGo campaign for people who want to give her a hand.Virginia Alleyne’s story received some major major media coverage in April 2022, shortly after she filed a lawsuit aginst Mayor Eric Adams and NYC’s private sector mandate:Yankee Stadium waitress files lawsuit against Adams’ athlete vax exemption - New York PostCOVID curveball: Fmr Yankee Stadium waitress fired over vaccine mandate after NYC mayor exempts players - Fox News appearance with attorney James MermigisFed-up Yankee Stadium worker takes legal action against NYC mayor over COVID tyranny - appearance on Glenn Beck’s showHere are some links related to things we talked about during the episode:Your Rights Under HIPAAThis guide from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services describes the legal rights of individuals under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). HIPAA’s Privacy Rule prohibits health care providers from sharing an individual’s health information without permission.UNITE HERE Local 100This union represents food service and restaurant workers in the New York/New Jersey area.This exchange between Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett and New York City attorney and former mayoral candidate Maya Wiley occured at the July 20, 2023 Hearing on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, which addressed online censorship.U.S Public Health Service (USPHS) Syphilis Study at TuskegeeThis clinical study conducted between 1932 and 1972 was designed to observe the natural progression of untreated syphilis. All of the participants were African-American men, and those who had syphilis were not informed about their diagnosis. Instead, they were told they were being treated for “bad blood,” and given free medical exams, meals, and burial insurance. They were not given treatment with penicillin, and more than 100 of the participants died of the disease.10 NYCRR 2.13: Isolation and Quarantine ProceduresThese regulations put in place by the Hochul administration expanded existing New York State quarantine rules to allow the health commissioner to have not only people infected with a contagious disease, but “all such persons as the State Commissioner of Health shall determine appropriate” put into involuntary quarantine by local law enforcement. Critics often refer to them as the “quarantine camp” regulations. They were struck down by a lawsuit brought by attorney Bobbie Anne Cox, but the Hochul administration is appealing.“Key to NYC” Vaccination Mandate Executive OrderThe “Key to NYC” mandate required both employees and patrons of restaurants, entertainment venues, and gyms to show proof of vaccination. It began on August 17, 2021, and was lifted on March 7, 2022.Order of the Commissioner of Health and Mental Hygiene to Require COVID-19 Vaccination in the WorkplaceThis is the order that former Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi issued on December 13, 2021 requiring all workers in New York City who work in a workplace or interact with other workers or the public to be vaccinated. An exception to it was later added for “Performing artists and college or professional athletes.” This mandate ended on November 1, 2022.About the New York Mandate PodcastThe New York Mandate Podcast is an ongoing series of conversations exploring the costs and consequences of vaccine mandates in New York City. I talk with workers, students, and parents who have been directly affected by the mandates, as well as legal and policy experts.In late 2021, the City introduced a series of requirements for workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. These requirements were put in place through executive orders issued by the administration of former mayor Bill de Blasio. They covered nearly all workers in New York City, in both the public and private sectors. They also barred unvaccinated adults, including parents, from schools.Current mayor Eric Adams kept the mandates in place until November 1, 2022 for the private sector and February 10, 2023 for City workers, and has encouraged private employers to put their own vaccine requirements in place.The views expressed in the New York Mandate podcast are the personal opinions of the people speaking, and are not intended to provide medical or legal advice.Join the ConversationHave you lost your job, been put on leave, or lost opportunities to work as an independent contractor as a result of your decision not to comply with a vaccine mandate in New York? Did you take a vaccine against your wishes in order to keep your job? Please get in touch with me at [email protected]. Get full access to No One You Know at nooneyouknow.substack.com/subscribe

“This is still really impacting thousands of people's lives. And it's not something we can just brush under the carpet and pretend never happened. This ruined lives unjustly and we have to make it impossible to ignore that.” -Sujata GibsonThe New York Mandate Podcast is subscriber-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, become a free or paid subscriber.In this episode of the New York Mandate podcast, I talk with civil rights attorney Sujata Gibson, who is representing petitioners/plaintiffs in several lawsuits against New York City and New York State vaccine mandates.We spoke following a hearing in DiCapua et al v. The City of New York et al, where New York Supreme Court Judge Ralph Porzio denied a motion by the City to dismiss the case and set an August 14 date for the next hearing, where Gibson and her co-counsel on the case attorney Michael Sussman will present arguments for certifying the lawsuit as a class action. Gibson talked with me about the DiCapua case and gave an update on the other mandate-related lawsuits she’s working on. She also talked about how the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in Groff v DeJoy is relevant to her cases, the complex issue of undue hardship claims, and what went on behind the scenes with the New York City bureaucrats who rejected workers’ requests for religious exemptions to vaccine mandates.Thank you for listening to the New York Mandate Podcast. This episode is public, so feel free to share it.More from Sujata Gibson:Gibson spoke to petitioners and supporters in the lobby of the Richmond County Courthouse after the July 18, 2023 hearing in DiCapua v. NYC.Gibson talked with me outside the Richmond County Courthouse after the July 18, 2023 hearing in DiCapua v. NYC.Here are some links related to things we talked about during the episode:New York Governor Kathy Hochul speaks about getting vaccinated at the Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn, September 26, 2021.Eichenholtz DepositionThis May 2022 deposition of New York City Law Department attorney Eric Eichenholtz explores in detail the City’s process for reviewing requests for religious exemptions to COVID-19 vaccine mandates for municipal workers.Groff v. DeJoyThis U.S. Supreme Court decision clarified the standard that should be applied when employers deny a religious accommodation on the grounds of undue hardship.About the New York Mandate PodcastThe New York Mandate Podcast is an ongoing series of conversations exploring the costs and consequences of vaccine mandates in New York City. I talk with workers, students, and parents who have been directly affected by the mandates, as well as legal and policy experts.In late 2021, the City introduced a series of requirements for workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. These requirements were put in place through executive orders issued by the administration of former mayor Bill de Blasio. They covered nearly all workers in New York City, in both the public and private sectors. They also barred unvaccinated adults, including parents, from schools.Current mayor Eric Adams kept the mandates in place until November 1, 2022 for the private sector and February 10, 2023 for City workers, and has encouraged private employers to put their own vaccine requirements in place.The views expressed in the New York Mandate podcast are the personal opinions of the people speaking, and are not intended to provide medical or legal advice.Join the ConversationHave you lost your job, been put on leave, or lost opportunities to work as an independent contractor as a result of your decision not to comply with a vaccine mandate in New York? Did you take a vaccine against your wishes in order to keep your job? Please get in touch with me at [email protected]. Get full access to No One You Know at nooneyouknow.substack.com/subscribe

“Hollywood told everyone, ‘You cannot work without this vaccine.’ And everyone fell right in line. Even if it was a fake card, you were complying under pressure just in kind of a surreptitious way. So what are they going to ask next? What are they going to require next? They already know that they can do it. All they have to do is just hold the paycheck. That's all it took. So, you know, people have to start questioning.”The New York Mandate Podcast is subscriber-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, become a free or paid subscriber.In this episode of the New York Mandate Podcast, I talk with Stanley, an Emmy-award-winning hairstylist who has worked for over 30 years in the entertainment industry. He was barred from working on productions after both industry and New York City COVID-19 vaccine mandates went into effect.Stanley talked with me about how pandemic safety protocols and vaccine mandates were implemented in the entertainment industry, the role of unions, and the widespread use of counterfeit vaccine cards. Stanley also told me about how workers were required to wear color-coded stickers on their badges to indicate their vaccination status in 2021, before the full vaccine mandate went into effect. You can see some examples here:If you think it’s important for people to hear Stanley’s story, please share it!Here are some links related to things we talked about during the episode:The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States, Its Territories and Canada (IATSE)This union represents over 168,000 workers in theater, motion picture, and television production, trade shows and exhibitions, television broadcasting, and concerts, as well as equipment and construction shops that support the entertainment industry.Order of the Commissioner of Health and Mental Hygiene to Require COVID-19 Vaccination in the WorkplaceThis is the order that former Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi issued on December 13, 2021 requiring all workers in New York City who work in a workplace or interact with other workers or the public to be vaccinated. It went into effect on December 27, 2021, covering nearly all private-sector workers in New York City, and was lifted on November 1, 2022.Mandatory Vaccinations On Productions An Option Under Return-To-Work Protocols – UpdateThis July 2021 article in Deadline reports on the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccine mandates in the entertainment industry.Oscars: COVID-19 Vaccination Will Not Be Required for In-Person AttendeesStanley mentioned this article in The Hollywood Reporter, which reports on the fact that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences did not require performers and presenters to present proof of vaccination at its annual award show in 2022.Hollywood’s High-Stakes Strike: Actors and Writers Make History With Bid to Reshape IndustryWhen Stanley and I spoke earlier this week, entertainment industry writers were already on strike. Performers joined them soon after. This article from The Hollywood Reporter reports on the combined strike, which has effectively shut down the entertainment industry.About the New York Mandate PodcastThe New York Mandate Podcast is an ongoing series of conversations exploring the costs and consequences of vaccine mandates in New York City. I talk with workers, students, and parents who have been directly affected by the mandates, as well as legal and policy experts.In late 2021, the City introduced a series of requirements for workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. These requirements were put in place through executive orders issued by the administration of former mayor Bill de Blasio. They covered nearly all workers in New York City, in both the public and private sectors. They also barred unvaccinated adults, including parents, from schools.Current mayor Eric Adams kept the mandates in place until November 1, 2022 for the private sector and February 10, 2023 for City workers, and has encouraged private employers to put their own vaccine requirements in place.The views expressed in the New York Mandate podcast are the personal opinions of the people speaking, and are not intended to provide medical or legal advice.Join the ConversationHave you lost your job, been put on leave, or lost opportunities to work as an independent contractor as a result of your decision not to comply with a vaccine mandate in New York? Did you take a vaccine against your wishes in order to keep your job? Please get in touch with me at [email protected]. Get full access to No One You Know at nooneyouknow.substack.com/subscribe