A group of 118 first responders and other City of Raleigh employees have hired an attorney to fight the city’s new COVID-19 employment mandate. They call it discriminatory.
Attorney James Lawrence represents 53 police officers, 44 firefighters, and seven City of Raleigh employees who are unvaccinated. Under the city’s new mandate, getting a promotion now hinges on getting the vaccine.
“Quite frankly, they’re heroes,” Lawrence said. “They’re working-class people who have been told by the city that if they want to get promoted, unless they have a medical or religious exemption, otherwise they have to get the vaccine.” Lawrence is a partner at Envisage Law. “We think it fundamentally violates the city’s own stated goals of equity and inclusion providing employment opportunities for all people.”