KEY FACTS

Approximately 1,200 first responders, police officers and firefighters are planning to file a class action lawsuit on Friday against the state's Covid vaccine mandate, according to local news sites.

The attorneys representing the workers' unions claim the vaccine requirement violates the workers' collective bargaining agreement.

Hawaii Gov. David Ige announced last week that state and county workers will need to get vaccinated or submit to testing starting August 16, saying those that don't comply may get fired.

After the announcement was made, many state workers' unions criticized the governor for failing to discuss the plan with individual unions ahead of time.

Hawaii is one of the states leading in Covid-19 vaccinations, according to the Mayo Clinic, with over 70% of its population having received at least one vaccine, and has one of the strictest masking rules, having kept its indoor mask mandate when other states dropped theirs.