Now that the Biden administration has given federal contractors until Jan. 4 to have their workforces vaccinated against COVID-19, federal workers say they want the same extra time.

The American Federation of Government Employees asked the administration Tuesday to give federal employees an extension to Jan. 4. They’re currently supposed to have their vaccination – including a two-week, post-shot waiting period – by Nov. 22.

“While we share the administration’s goal of beating the pandemic and appreciate the vital role of vaccination in this effort, setting different compliance deadlines for employees vis-à-vis contractors is both harmful to morale and substantively unjustified,” AFGE National President Everett Kelley wrote in a Nov. 9 letter. “Federal workers should be able to complete the holiday season without the threat of discipline looming over them.”

Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Jessi Monte