Though a reported 150 Department of Correction employees have refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine since Gov. Charlie Baker's mandate for state employees took effect, officials say prisons are operating as normal.
In October, Baker activated up to 250 Massachusetts National Guard members as a contingency measure during a court battle with the correction officers' union over the vaccine mandate. Though guard members would be available to offset potential Department of Correction staffing shortages, none are currently filling in for correction officers who aren’t at work because they refuse to get the shot. A spokesperson for the Massachusetts National Guard Public Affairs office said that is because the guard's assistance has so far not been required.
"All facilities are operating normally," spokesman Jason Dobson said in response to questions about prisoners spending increased time in cells due to possible staffing shortages.
The Executive Office of Public Safety and Security told GBH News on Tuesday that while National Guard members were never intended to replace correction officers inside prisons, they are helping with COVID-19 testing for prison visitors at locations outside of DOC facilities.
Baker’s mandate, which took effect on Oct. 18, requires more than 40,000 state employees and contractors to be fully vaccinated. According to MassLive, at least 150 DOC employees have been suspended due to lack of inoculation since the deadline.
Employees who don’t comply with the governor’s order are put on a discipline track, which begins with a five-day suspension without pay, followed by a subsequent 10-day suspension without pay if they still have not gotten the vaccine. After that, their employment is terminated. If officials are following that timeline, they would have recently started firing employees who haven’t complied with the requirement.
The Department of Correction said it is enforcing the governor’s order but would not provide information related to personnel matters. It didn’t respond to requests for information about staff discipline.
Some prison staff are skeptical of the shot requirement, and adamant that they shouldn’t have to get the vaccine. The Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union attempted to block the mandate in court, with individual officers in the complaint citing a constitutional right to decline medical treatment. A federal judge rejected that request.
In mid-October, documents filed in federal court estimated about 40% of Massachusetts correction officers weren’t fully vaccinated. The union said then that more than 550 personnel were awaiting a determination on their requests for medical or religious exemptions.
Union officials could not be reached for comment over the ongoing firings and suspensions. There are about 3,300 members of the union and 6,300 prisoners in the state prison system.
The Department of Correction also insists its operations aren’t disrupted by the absences.
“DOC continues normal operations at this time with regular programming and services available to those within the department’s care,” a spokesman said.
