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A judge ruled Thursday that the city of St. Paul’s COVID vaccination policy for police, firefighters and legions of other unionized city workers should have been part of the bargaining process, and he barred the city from enforcing it until it is approved as part of a negotiated agreement.

The judge also found the city did not act in bad faith in effort to prevent COVID spread..

The city of St. Paul cannot institute a COVID-19 vaccine requirement for its employees without negotiating the matter with unions, a judge ruled Thursday.

Cliff Willmeng was under review after being fired for defying orders about hospital scrubs

The Minnesota Nursing Board has dropped its investigation of Cliff Willmeng, RN, the Minneapolis nurse and former union steward fired early in the pandemic for wearing hospital-issued scrubs instead of his own.

“Disciplinary action by the Board is not warranted in this matter,” according to a Board letter to Willmeng dated Feb. 24, which he shared with MedPage Today. “The Board encourages you, however, to review your role in the reported situation, including a nurse’s responsibility to conduct oneself in a professional and collegial manner.”

Willmeng’s licensure status will not be impacted by the investigation. But the Board reserves the right to reexamine the complaint that led to the review and Willmeng’s response, which he submitted in December, “should we receive additional information about this situation or a report of a similar nature in the future.”