Vaccine mandate deadline looms for less than fifth of AC Transit workers

More than 80 percent of Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District employees were vaccinated against Covid-19 ahead of Thursday’s deadline to comply with the agency’s internal vaccine mandate, officials with the transit agency said.

The AC Transit Board of Directors voted in December to require all employees of the transit agency to get vaccinated or present proof of their full vaccination status, with no option to test for those who do not comply.

AC Transit officials said they expect full compliance with the requirement among the agency’s 2,200 employees, who have until the end of Thursday to present proof of their vaccination.

AC Transit General Manager Michael Hursh said in a statement:

“Our Board of Directors wants to ensure a healthier workforce and build a safer workplace, and through its vote, believes the COVID-19 vaccines provide our transit district a critical path forward.” 

The mandate includes medical and religious exemptions, but employees who do not comply and do not have an exemption could be informed as soon as Friday that they will be fired, according to AC Transit officials.

Should workers be fired for failing to get vaccinated, AC Transit officials said riders may face temporary service issues and they will be notified if service reductions become necessary due to a lack of staff.

Up-to-date service information for all AC Transit lines can be found at https://www.actransit.org.

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