It is disappointing that President Biden and Gov. Mills bowed to pressure from the powerful teacher unions, deciding to open up vaccinations to school staff before others similarly placed.

Both President Biden and Gov. Mills received my vote, and I am a past member of several unions. I believe in unions, but I believe more strongly in fairness. My late mother, a third-grade teacher, taught me about fairness. If she were alive, she would be embarrassed.

It is a slippery slope our leaders now plummet down, allowing one interest group to go ahead of others in the “essential service worker” category. Teachers will go before grocery store, pharmacy and restaurant staff, social workers, manufacturing employees such as swab-makers and others in critical industries who never shut down during the months when many of us stayed at home.

What about vulnerable people who have weakened immune systems or pre-existing medical conditions? There’s no union or interest group advocating for them.

It might be difficult, but it would be logical to create a new vaccine category for people who fit into a defined cluster, including “medically fragile” and “essential employees.” Anything other than this is patently unfair.

I urge Gov. Mills and state Center for Disease Control and Prevention Director Nirav Shah to consider such a policy.

Susan Graham
Kennebunkport