What’s the cost of firing Hamilton city workers over vaccines? Council wants to know

Hamilton council has asked staff to crunch the potential cost of dismissing hundreds of municipal workers who have resisted the city's mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy.

The direction comes after a tense debate that questioned the merits of calculating such a figure without tallying other pandemic-related costs, such as lost work time due to illness.

But the potential consequences - including grievance hearings, arbitration rulings, lawsuits and hiring new staff - are what staff had already planned to report back on as the information becomes available.

I don't see it as one report. I see it as a number of updates," Lora Fontana, executive director of human resources, told councillors Wednesday.

Coun. Esther Pauls sparked the discussion with a motion that asked staff to report back with an estimate or range" of costs that could spring from the termination on June 1 of roughly 440 employees who haven't followed the vaccination policy.

I don't want the exact figure. We want a ballpark figure," Pauls said, noting she has fielded many requests asking for the information.

The Ward 7 councillor argued the city should have determined that estimate before opting for a mandatory vaccination verification policy that carried a dismissal provision.

The affected workers were all heroes" for continuing to work throughout the pandemic, Pauls said. Now, they're not our heroes and we're saying, out the door you go.'"

Last month, in a 6-4 vote, councillors backed changes that would have eased requirements for existing workers but still required new hires to adhere to the policy. But a week later, final approval of that close vote failed on a 6-6 tie with four councillors absent.

That meant non-compliant workers on unpaid leaves or undergoing rapid-antigen testing since November were still on track to lose their jobs on June 1.

A vast majority - about 94 per cent - of city workers have received their shots.

In January, 505 were not in compliance, a number that has since dropped to about 440 as the May 31 deadline approaches, Fontana said. And that number continues to decline."

Councillors pushed back against Pauls's motion, arguing an estimate of dismissal-related costs would present a one-sided picture.

Vaccinated city workers have saved local taxpayers significant amounts of money" by not incurring costs related to falling ill and dipping productivity, Coun. John-Paul Danko contended.

Mayor Fred Eisenberger agreed, saying the motion does not speak to our responsibility to provide a healthy and safe environment," later adding, those who oppose vaccination have landed on Coun. Pauls, unfortunately."

In her defence, Coun. Terry Whitehead said the province rolled back mandates and cities followed suit, but not Hamilton. I just can't believe that there's so many righteous people in a room."

The city will diminish its corporate memory" by shedding qualified and seasoned" workers, he said. So congratulations, council. Thank you."

Coun. Sam Merulla, who noted his steady support for public health's direction, said in fairness," Pauls is just asking for information."

He added: This is the most significant mass termination in the history of the City of Hamilton, and you're going to vote to not allow your residents to know what the total cost will be. That's a true story."

Coun. Brad Clark, who was absent the day of the tie vote, said council for whatever reason" dismissed HR and legal staff's advice to end the policy. And, as a result of that, it opens us up to grievances and litigation."

Teviah Moro is a reporter at The Spectator. tmoro@thespec.com