Unions Call for Changes in Smallpox Vaccine Program
Amid growing concerns that President Bush's smallpox inoculation plans do more to protect corporate interests from liability than to protect workers, families and patients from deadly reactions to vaccinations, unions representing 1.1 million healthcare workers are calling for the program to be put on hold. The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) have condemned the fact that the Bush administration has refused to offer compensation for victims of vaccine side effects despite having limited the liability of vaccine manufacturers and administers. Unless the administration drops its resistance to compensation for reactions, as well as to screening healthcare workers for potential risk factors as it does with military personnel, the SEIU has made it clear that is will advise its members to join over half-a-dozen prominent hospitals in refusing to participate in the inoculations.
See "Unions Call for Changes in Smallpox Vaccine Program", CECI CONNOLLY, The Washington Post, January 16, 2003