Posted on 11/23/2021 5:18:44 AM PST by ObozoMustGo2012
My (extremely liberal) company in New Jersey has issued a mandate based on Biden’s “vaccine” mandate for companies who are also federal contractors.
The originally deadline was October, but kept getting kicked down the road with delays, and court stays. Now it seems like the Jan 5th deadline is it. If my “vax” card is not loaded into their confidential system by the 4th, I will be terminated with no severance on Jan 5th, after 7+ years of impeccable service and dedication. However there’s more to just not wanting to get the shot. I was approved to move out of state (to a popular state in the south with a great gov), which I uprooted my life and moved to earlier this month, so I will be working remotely, however they are mandating it for remote employees as well.
Here’s the real kicker… I applied for a religious exemption in the late summer and was APPROVED. BUT NOW, HR has said in black and white that my religious exemption is not longer approved… that they can “assume”, but not “determine” that I have strongly held religious beliefs... that is their basis for denial. And that working remotely or getting tested would create “an undue hardship” with my company.
Anyone else getting this same BS from their job? What course of action are you taking? I am NOT going to get this shot, so I am weighing all of my options, including submitting a discrimination complaint with the EEOC, and outing the company to local news sources.
Take the unemployment, put the house up for sale and move. The job is no longer keeping you there.
Strange world we live in today. A man cad declare themselves a woman with no proof and participate in the Olympics but a person who says they have religious beliefs must provide proof.
cad should be can
Everyone at my company say they are going to force the company to walk them out. I am old enough, i am retiring.
“I was approved to move out of state (to a popular state in the south with a great gov), which I uprooted my life and moved to earlier this month, so I will be working remotely, however they are mandating it for remote employees as well. “
~~~
Have you talked to a lawyer about this?
Sounds like a good case. If you working remotely and out of state, the mandate is potentially an overreach.
Well, we all know they are an overreach, but this is more about the legal specifics.
[Take the unemployment, put the house up for sale and move. The job is no longer keeping you there.]
I already moved south. I’m not sure how unemployment will work, as I will have only been in the state I moved to for 2 months.
The EEOC, as you undoubtedly know, will do nothing. Perhaps there are others in your company (or similar companies) who could combine limited resources to file suit for this religious discrimination/unlawful termination action.
As a side issue, did they pay for your relocation? With a lot of relocation packages a repayment clause is included if you leave voluntarily before some agreed upon time. What does it say about involuntary separation? Do you need to repay it then? (If no repayment clause then never mind...)
[Sounds like a good case. If you working remotely and out of state, the mandate is potentially an overreach]
Its definitely an overreach! The only thing which I would see my company doing to fight this is that our remote “approvals” have the be reinstated every year, and expire after 12/31.
In normal instances, I wouldn’t see them not reinstating it... but in this circumstance, I wouldn’t doubt them being dicks and denying my WFH approval for 2022.
Their granting, then taking back a religious exemption without “due process” is one area of attack.
Recommend that you request now for a complete copy of all company documents relied upon for granting your religious exemption and then denying the religious exemption. Did they give you notice that they were going to re-open the religious exemption that they granted before they actually reviewed it?
Once you have those documents, then ask them for the names of all the persons involved in the granting of your religious exemption, and the same for all people who signed off on the denial of your religious exemption. If your company has a policy (sure they do) not to discriminate against a person based on their religion, you better make a copy of that as well.
Once you have these documents, then ask them for the company appeals process for denial of exemption (if it isn’t spelled out in the previously requested documents). Hopefully you will be able to work this out. However, you might have a case for wrongful termination based on religious discrimination - especially since they already found that you were entitled. Keep us/me posted.
Get a fake card. I don’t like dishonesty, but this is none of their business
[As a side issue, did they pay for your relocation? With a lot of relocation packages a repayment clause is included if you leave voluntarily before some agreed upon time. What does it say about involuntary separation? Do you need to repay it then? (If no repayment clause then never mind...)]
No, I paid for the relocation myself.
The only conditions I needed to follow were
-camera visibility during online team meetings
-sustaining a good performance level
-unless a business need requires me to move back**
**- this might e the clause they will exercise to cover their a*ses....
We all have to weigh our health concerns vs making money. Sitting at home awaiting the inevitable lawsuit will take years off your life, plus the stress of perhaps being poor.
For a couple it also affects your spouses life. Could be 4-6 years of lifetime chewed up awaiting a legal correction that may never come. To most people that 4-6 of working is a healthy retirement fund.
If you can acquire a new better job shortly after a potential discharge, pay your bills and have a low stress normalcy and await a legal correction with lawyers getting a healthy cut, go for it. Damages for wrongful termination do not account for if you picked up a new job.
Honestly, outside of the military, healthcare or state workers is going to get away with a JAN 2022 date without a lawsuit. Since the death rate is so low the legitimacy of the Pandemic is over.
I have read that many companies are denying exemptions for vaccination.
They can’t revoke your religious exemption, it’s illegal in black letter law under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. They will lose in court, most employers are relying on people to surrender.
dont be shy in giving over any information on how the company runs to their competitors. Sure, feel free to “spill your guts” to anyone who wants info.
and don’t forget to dig up those old emails from a few years back of the now-executive level guy passing around homo or black jokes etc....
if they’re going to toss you out on the street, then make sure to do EVERYTHING you can to make them pay for it and do damage control.
I’m guessing that the governor of your popular state just signed a number of bills into law that should protect you from your company’s mandate. Perhaps you should remind the company about who is boss in your popular state.
My best friends wife is a nursing home RN
Half of them will be terminated on December 17 because they are refusing the jab
It’s extortion to hold a $80k+ job over their heads when they are understaffed to begin with
It’s time for a national strike, and I think the first week of January 2022 would be a good time to do it.
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