Just a week ago, health care workers were given the option to test weekly or get vaccinated. On Thursday, August 19th that all changed when Governor Brown mandated vaccines for health care workers. Health care workers must now be fully vaccinated by October 18th or lose their jobs. Also, unemployment claims for vaccine related lay offs are still up in the air. These health care workers have been saving lives and now the governor is threatening to take away their livelihood. If this isn’t coercion, then what is? 

Health care workers have been working tirelessly since the beginning of the pandemic. While many workers chose to get the vaccine, there are still those who have decided against it for whatever personal reason. According to data updated by the Oregon Health Authority on July 3, 2021 just 57% of Oregon’s certified nursing assistants are vaccinated; 60% of licensed professional nurses are vaccinated; and only 56% of advanced emergency medical technicians have received a shot. It's time that we support our health care workers like they have supported us. 

Sign the petition and tell Governor Brown that our health care workers deserve the right to choose what goes in their bodies without being coerced.