Union on the fence about backing full vaccination mandate

The Guam Federation of Teachers understands the need to protect students and the community, but is on the fence about fully supporting a mandate forcing GovGuam employees to get vaccinated.

Since Governor Lou Leon Guerrero issued her executive order late Friday, GFT reps say they've been flooded with concerns from Government of Guam employees. "One of them said that they will probably no longer teach," said Tim Fedenko, president of the union.

"Is concerned with the impact mandatory vaccinations could have on the government as a whole, in particular frontline agencies."

"The real question possibly is what if we do layoff all these fireman or furlough or fire or take action against policemen, firemen, DOC guards, and we're down to 50 percent of the workforce in there then are we creating a more dangerous society by trying to make a healthier safer society," he continued. "So I'm not the governor and I don't plan to be governor, but these are tough decisions and these are very hard things to do and I think that when we ask I think when you force people to do things they have push back I'm not going to do it it's my right."

GFT field Representative Robert Koss has also been flooded with concerns about the Governor's executive order. For example a GovGuam employee reached out to him not wanting to get a shot from a vaccine that the FDA has only approved through emergency use authorization.

According to Koss, nurses who are part of the GFT union are 100 percent on board with COVID vaccinations, but other members are not.

Koss told KUAM News, "On the other side, we've got many many employees who are concerned about using an experimental drug that has not been approved, and whether the government is probably authorized to force us to be lab rats and inject the experimental drugs into our bodies."

The governor's executive order does give an option for employees who do not want to get vaccinated to get weekly COVID-19 tests - if a public sector employee does not do either - then they will be subject to disciplinary action-what that means however was not included in the EO.

We should also add that autonomous agencies and the Mayors Council of Guam are not part of the executive branch, but according to the Adelup Communications Director Krystal Paco San Agustin is it the EO's intent that they follow the mandate, a memo from the Department of Administration is forthcoming to provide clarification.