It was rally round 2 for hundreds of people at Yakima's Chesterly Park on Saturday. The Yakima County Freedom Rally round 2 was held from 2:00PM to 4:00PM on Saturday where families, health care workers, first responders, politicians and others waved rally signs at cars along 40th Avenue all standing against local and state COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

HEALTHCARE WORKERS COULD LOSE JOBS THIS FALL

Organizers of the rallies are local health care workers and others who fear they'll lose jobs if they refuse to get the vaccine.  They say no one should be forced to inject something in their body in order to keep their job. Many are concerned the mandates will grow and eventually lead to a state mandate and possible lock downs. The first rally at Chesterly Park earlier this month also drew hundreds of people as well.

THE YAKIMA RALLY JOINED OTHER RALLIES AROUND THE STATE

The rally in Yakima on Saturday was one of a handful of rallies around the state including a rally at the state Capital in Olympia. Like the Yakima rally, it was held to protest Governor Jay Inslee's mandate he announced in early August which requires K-12 employees, health care workers and many state employees to get the vaccine by October 18 or face the possibility of losing a job. There's growing concern that a majority of workers in the state won't get the vaccine and that could lead to mass layoffs at a time when the state needs medical workers.

STATE EMPLOYEES ARE TAKING THE GOVERNOR TO COURT

On Thursday the Washington Federation of State Employees sued in an attempt to stop the mandate. The federation says the state didn't offer to bargain with the union.
Many health care workers in Yakima say they face the real possibility of losing jobs this fall because they won't get the vaccine as ordered by the governor.