An employee at a hospital is $45,000 richer after winning a judgment that earned him compensation of that amount. The plaintiff, who will receive the cash compensation, was unjustly let go from his job.
According to the fellow, he requested the hospital exempt him from the mandatory vaccine policy on religious grounds. However, the employee saw it as unfair and a violation of his civil rights, which made him file a lawsuit against the hospital.
The said employee also put in a petition with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). This Commission then offered to support the plaintiff in prosecuting the case. In fact, the local office of the EEOC decided to dispatch one of their attorneys, Marcus G. Keegan, on the case.
While reviewing the lawsuit, the EEOC discovered something about the hospital, which happens to be the defendant. They are guilty of violating Title VII of their ex-employee’s Civil Rights Acts. The title of the Civil Rights Act stipulates that employers must be tolerant of whatever religion their employee chooses to practice.
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Next, Attorney Keegan further buttressed the lapse that Title VII lays bare. He said, “It is the responsibility of an employer to accommodate its employees’ sincerely held religious beliefs.”
Of course, the employer did not reinstate the employee after the litigation, and it is not even likely that the latter will want to keep working with the organization. However, besides the cash settlement, the ruling of the lawsuit compulses it for the hospital to revamp the conditions for their vaccination exemptions.
Likewise, the hospital will have to, going forward, statutorily run organization-wide training on religious tolerance. To discourage top executives of the hospital from using junior staff to fill the religious tolerance training quota, even top management staff will have to participate.
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However, the training can be as simple as having graphical art hanging around the hospital facility and offices, reminding employees and employers alike about the importance of accommodating religious rights.
It does not end there. Using the $45,000 compensation as a precedent, the case sends a direct signal to other organizations. By implication, any organization found glad-handing their employees into taking vaccinations against their will may have to pay heavy fines.
It is alright if an organization tries to protect the collective health of its workforce. However, if it becomes necessary, for some reasons best known to some employees, albeit clearly articulated, then such individuals should be exempted.
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In addition, Attorney Keegan adds that if the requested exemption would not pose a severe risk to other employees, then the employer has no grounds on which to decline. Also, if an employer grants their employee a vaccination exemption at an instance, then they should not revoke it down the lane.
For example, the winner of the $45,000 settlement enjoyed an exemption some years back. However, he was denied during his next application for exemption. Hopefully, with this precedence, more organizations will become considerate of the religious leanings of their employees. With that, they will probably have to walk on eggshells when drafting their next mandatory vaccine policy.
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