On the surface, a tentative contract agreement allowing unionized state workers up to $3,000 if they’ve been vaccinated against COVID-19 appears to be a money grab.
Why Gov. Daniel J. McKee’s administration agreed to the incentive is unclear because his office has declined to comment. The union, AFSCME Council 94, is expected to vote on the four-year contract Dec. 2.
Perhaps it’s a coincidence that the contract approved this past summer by the Providence Teachers Union also included a $3,000 incentive payment agreed to by the R.I. Department of Education.
It’s not surprising though that another union would then ask for something similar.
That Gov. McKee’s administration would agree to it might be an indication tying the bonuses to vaccinations means they can be paid for with federal pandemic aid. But even if true, political expedience should not trump basic fairness.
It’s wrong to offer bonuses to some but not others.
And there are myriad better ways to spend that money than lining the pockets of state workers in exchange for quick ratification of a new contract.