MANDATE: THE RESPONSE OF PUBLIC SAFETY UNIONS TO COVID-19 VACCINE MANDATES IN A NEW ERA OF POLARIZATION

Thumbnail Image
Files
23Sep_Tracey_Michael.pdf (2.84 MB)
Authors
Tracey, Michael W.
Subjects
labor unions
firefighter unions
police unions
democratic institutions
pluralism
Advisors
Bellavita, Christopher
Halladay, Carolyn C.
Date of Issue
2023-09
Date
Publisher
Monterey, CA; Naval Postgraduate School
Language
Abstract
This thesis analyzes the reaction of public safety unions to the COVID vaccine mandates in their respective cities. It highlights existing academic literature on how unions behave organizationally, specifically the use of democratic infrastructure to represent their members’ interest, how they balance dissent and minority interests within each union, and how they balance competing priorities (such as contractual terms and legislative priorities) within the organizations. This thesis examines the historical origins of police and firefighter unions and how they have behaved differently from that of the larger labor movement in the United States. The research section discusses the introduction of vaccine and vaccine mandates in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York. The Chicago Fraternal Order of Police, Los Angeles’ firefighter union United Firefighters of Los Angeles City (UFLAC), and the firefighter and fire officer unions in New York fought vaccine requirements with various strategies based on leadership and member decisions. Los Angeles and New York unions splintered into separate groups that fought the vaccine mandates on their own. The thesis found that numerous political and social changes in technology and the political arena have helped shape the way each union chose to respond to both the virus and vaccine mandate.
Type
Thesis
Description
URI
https://hdl.handle.net/10945/72403
Series/Report No
Department
National Security Affairs (CHDS)
Organization
Identifiers
NPS Report Number
Sponsors
Funder
Format
Citation
Distribution Statement
Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.
Rights
Copyright is reserved by the copyright owner.
Collections
Theses