Boston’s City Worker Vaccine Mandate Tests Power of Unions

The power of unions to bargain over workplace health measures is at stake as the Massachusetts high court decides whether to allow a Covid-19 vaccine mandate for city workers to proceed.

If the city of Boston is allowed to compel vaccination, it could be a sea change for the kinds of decisions public employers can make without first bargaining with unions. Courts in the state have typically determined that public employers must bargain over matters of worker health and safety before implementing any decisions.

A decision in the city’s favor “could water down the union’s ability to have a say ...