Judge upholds Port of Seattle vaccine mandate

SEATTLE — A King County Superior Court judge upheld the Port of Seattle’s requirement that all employees be vaccinated against COVID-19.

The court denied the motion, filed by two unions representing port employees, for a preliminary injunction to stop the mandate from going into effect on Nov. 15.

In a statement, Teamsters Local Unions 117 and 763, who filed the lawsuit, said, “we are disappointed that the Port has put our members in a position of having to choose between maintaining their careers or doing something that violates their conscience or risks their health. We will be working to defend the contractual rights of members who were granted a religious or medical exemption but were not accommodated by the Port.”

More than 89% of the port’s 2,200 employees are fully vaccinated. Any employees who have not yet validated their vaccination status must do so by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 15. Limited exemptions will also be considered for religious or medical reasons.

In an email sent to employees on Friday, Executive Director Steve Metruck said, “The pandemic continues to be one of the unvaccinated, so I hope that every employee who can, takes the vaccine. I want everyone to stay safe, healthy … and remain here at the Port.”

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