New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday offered former city employees terminated for failing to comply with the COVID-19 vaccine mandate an opportunity to return to their job.
Adams said former civil servants will be able to regain their former titles and their former salaries. This policy will apply to terminated employees in all mayoral agencies, at New York City Public Schools and at the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA).
The mayor said about 2,900 terminated employees will be offered the opportunity to return. Those who take the offer will not receive any credit for the time they did not serve the city, and will not have the right to backpay.
The policies put in place to weather COVID helped New York City rebound from the pandemic, the mayor said. However, the city is in "different place today," and policies should match "the realizties of our times," he added.
“That’s why we are updating our policies to reflect our new health and economic reality, as we look forward to welcoming back many of our former employees to their former positions," Adams said in a statement. "Ensuring New York City has the strongest workforce possible will continue to make our city safer, more affordable, and the best place to raise a family.”
This is the second time the Adams administration offered former employees their jobs back. In 2023, about 450 terminated employees came back to work.
All former permanent competitive and labor class, non-competitive, or exempt employees who were terminated and are interested in returning to city service must contact the head of human resources at their former agency by Dec. 5, 2025. Employees terminated from New York City Public Schools should contact NYCPSServicereturn2025@
