Ramsey sheriff's deputies union says privacy concerns at root of vaccine reluctance

The union representing Ramsey County Sheriff's Office deputies has pushed back against the county's threat to suspend deputies who don't comply with the county's COVID-19 vaccinate-or-test policy, calling the move "draconian" and saying it could threaten public safety.

The possible discipline comes as a few more members of the Sheriff's Office have complied with the county's vaccination-or-test policy since last week, when county managers warned that some members of the sheriff's office could face five-day suspensions for failing to report their vaccination status or submit to regular tests.

It's now about one in four staff members who have not yet complied, and negotiations between the sheriff's office and the county continue, a spokesman said Thursday.

The union said the deputies' concerns were chiefly about privacy of their medical data; the sheriff's chief deputy echoed that concern in an e-mail to Ramsey County Board Chair Trista MatasCastillo, saying deputies are reluctant to reveal vaccination status for fear it could be made public.

It can also be challenging for staff who are on nontraditional work hours to schedule a test, and due to the nature of the sheriff's job, it's virtually impossible to complete testing while on duty, Chief Deputy Dave Metusalem wrote.

The county's policy requires either proof of full vaccination or, if an employee is not vaccinated or does not wish to disclose their vaccination status, proof of negative tests on a weekly basis. Some 26 percent of the sheriff's office staff is not yet compliant with the policy, down from 29 percent last week, said a county spokesperson.

The president of the Ramsey County Deputies' Federation said the union is concerned that medical data would be stored in an information system that could be breached. The union said it also had reports that more people than originally intended would have access to the deputies' vaccination records. The talk of suspensions was "excessive," the union said.

"The effects of such draconian disciplinary action would exacerbate the already low number of deputies when public safety is an overriding concern," wrote union president Allison Schaber in a press release.

The county's vaccination-or-test policy is similar to others being implemented at agencies and departments across the state, with varying degrees of success.

In Hennepin County, some 89 percent of the county's nearly 9,000 workforce is vaccinated, and those not vaccinated are required to test weekly. The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office has 260 deputies out of 401 total who have attested to being vaccinated. The county's policy goes into full effect on April 4, and noncompliance could lead to termination.

In October, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter announced plans to roll out one of the state's most stringent vaccine policies for public employees with a mandate that did not give workers a testing alternative. The city allowed employees to request religious or medical exemptions.

But in late December, after a trio of unions filed lawsuits seeking a testing option, a judge ordered the city to stop enforcing the requirement while litigation continues. St. Paul is continuing to accept proof of vaccination from employees, but the mandate is likely on hold until at least April, when the city and unions plan to argue their cases in court.

The unions say the city violated state labor laws and collective bargaining agreements by failing to negotiate the vaccine policy.

"We proposed a policy where everybody gets tested, whether you're vaccinated or not, because we think that's going to keep our workforce and the general public the safest," said Mark Ross, president of the St. Paul Police Federation, the first union to sue the city over Carter's mandate. "The city's not interested. They claim that it's too much of an administrative burden and that it's too costly."

As of Monday, 489 of the 830 sworn officers and civilian workers employed by the St. Paul Police Department had submitted proof of vaccination to the city, and another 91 requested exemptions. Just over 2,350 of the city's 3,531 employees have also reported vaccinations .

At Metro Transit, about 80% of the staff of 2,885 is vaccinated. About 76% of the Metro Transit police department's 179 employees reported being vaccinated. Metro Transit encouraged its employees to get vaccinated by offering $150 bonuses and 56 hours of additional COVID-related sick time for all vaccinated employees, said a spokesperson.

Staff writers David Chanen and Katie Galioto contributed to this report.