SEATTLE — The King County Council is considering a proposal "fast-tracking" the re-hiring of employees who were fired for declining the COVID-19 vaccine.
The proposal is part of a push to fill hundreds of vacant positions across departments like King County Metro, the sheriff's office and the parks department.
The proposal, sponsored by Council Member Reagan Dunn could potentially help fill those roles by prioritizing the rehiring of employees impacted by those mandates.
Last month, metro drivers reached a union deal that would fast-track rehiring employees if they were fired for not getting vaccinated.
Dunn hopes to make that the standard for anyone who works for the county.
“They'd be offered employment again, in the agencies that they were with, with all the seniority they had,” Dunn said.
The county's vaccine mandate expired on Feb. 6 after nearly two years. King County's vaccine mandate was in place since mid-2021. All county and city employees, contractors and volunteers were required to show proof they received the initial COVID-19 vaccination series.
“Now that vaccination requirements have been rolled back, this is our opportunity to bring back those public servants — especially our first responders, including law enforcement and emergency personnel— who lost their jobs,” Dunn said in February. “Especially as the County continues to struggle to hire enough deputies to fully staff our Sheriff’s Office, we should focus on bringing back and retaining the high-quality, experienced employees that we very much need to fully staff our work.”
Officials said more than 98% of King County’s nearly 15,000 employees provided proof of vaccination at the time the mandate launched, along with nearly 4,000 employees hired since the mandate was instituted. Less than 2% were separated at that time due to the requirement.
According to the Department of Human Resources, 281 county employees were separated due to noncompliance with the vaccine mandate, including 33 in the King County Sheriff’s Office. As of August 2022, Dunn said 120 deputy positions remain vacant.
King County Metro had the most terminations of any department, losing 110 employees to the requirement. The agency is still working to hire nearly 40 vehicle maintenance staff and 100 bus operators, Dunn said.