Hundreds of protesters gathered outside city hall Friday calling for San Francisco to rethink its “vaccinate or else” mandate for city employees.
The sweeping policy calls for all city employees without a valid exemption to get vaccinated or ultimately lose their job.
Yvette Corkrean has been a registered nurse in the city for 22 years. She lost her job five months ago when the private clinic she was then working for instituted its own COVID-related mandate and she refused to follow it.
“I may never be able to work again in San Francisco, California and quite possibly this country if we do not push back against these mandates,” she said.
Get San Diego local news, weather forecasts, sports and lifestyle stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC San Diego newsletters.
For her and the hundreds that gathered outside city hall, they say this isn't an anti-vax protest. It's about the freedom to choose your own medical treatment.
“There is no compromise, there is no compromise to freedom,” said Corkrean.
Earlier this month, Mayor Breed announced all city’s employees will be required to share vaccine status and eventually will have to either get vaccinated or get suspended and potentially fired.
California
Because of this, fourth generation city employee Mike Bourne fears he'll soon be out of a job as well.
“My job is being threatened if I dont show my vaccine status to the city,” he said.
Bourne also stressed that he's not against people getting vaccinated. He just wants the right to choose for himself.
“It seems to me that if the city was concerned with public safety, which is what they're saying, they would test us all,” he said.
The city worker added that many of his friends have gotten vaccinated solely out of fear they will lose their jobs.
He’s drawing a line and says he will leave the city before being mandated to do something against his will.
For now, he and 200 plus city employees have submitted what they call a conditional acceptance letter to the city asking them to revise the mandate.
NBC Bay Area reached out to the mayor’s office for comment but have not heard back. They have previously said they are in ongoing discussions with unions over the mandate.
