NYC workers vaccine mandate protest shuts down Brooklyn Bridge traffic into Manhattan

New York City municipal employees are marching across the Brooklyn Bridge Monday against the COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

The protest, which is set to end in front of City Hall on the Manhattan side of the bridge, is billed as an anti-mandate protest on behalf of nearly 50,000 NYC employees who have yet to be vaccinated with a deadline just days away.

Traffic is shut down on the Brooklyn Bridge into Manhattan as of 11:49 a.m., according to police.

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PIX11 reports all city workers must have their first shot of the coronavirus vaccine by 5 p.m. Friday if they want to come to work the morning of Nov. 1.

Monday's protest follows a protest Sunday night at the Barclay's Center in support of Kyrie Irving. A crowd of people rallied as the Brooklyn Nets lost to the Charlotte Hornets at their home opener without their point guard. At one point the protest turned violent when some demonstrators tried to break into the arena, clashing with security and police.

Irving has refused to get vaccinated. As a result, he's not getting paid. The same could soon be said for thousands of city workers if they don't get the shot by Friday.

That's the threat from Mayor Bill de Blasio with vaccination rates lagging behind the general population at several large city agencies including the NYPD and the FDNYP.

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"It's time now. If you don't want to get vaccinated, you'll be put on unpaid leave. Well, the vast majority of human beings go to work to get paid. And also, I think for a lot of our first responders, there's a calling. They believe in the work, they care about the work. Those two factors I think are going to cause the vast majority to get vaccinated," Mayor de Blasio said.

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The mayor did offer a $500 incentive for city workers to get vaccinated and even that's causing controversy, with several unions now demanding back pay for workers who already got vaccinated without a bonus.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.