religious exemption vaccination letter for work

It leaves it up to individuals to make that decision. Pope Francis has told Catholics that getting vaccinated is 'an act of love,' for example.Įven the Christian Science Church, which counsels prayer rather than medical care, says it doesn't have an official policy on vaccinations. In fact, prominent religious leaders are endorsing them. So far, no major religion has come out in opposition to the COVID-19 vaccines. Probably not, because religious exemptions ultimately come down to an employee's personal belief and whether an employer can find a reasonable accommodation.

Vaccination is a simple way of promoting the common good and caring for each other, especially the most vulnerable. It's important to look at how the EEOC defines undue hardship. Remember that under the law, employers must provide reasonable accommodations to workers seeking religious exemptions - unless doing so poses an undue hardship. What's considered an undue hardship when it comes to religious exemptions? 'It's probably not the accommodation that those workers wanted, but that is something that the employer is providing,' Hernández says. Román Hernández, a labor and employment attorney with Troutman Pepper in Portland, Ore., says historically, courts have upheld unpaid leave as a reasonable accommodation in religious exemption cases. A handful of United employees have sued, saying unpaid leave is not a reasonable accommodation but rather an adverse employment action. United Airlines has granted religious exemptions to a small number of employees, but the reasonable accommodation the airline has provided is to put the employees on indefinite unpaid leave without regular benefits. The NBA recently denied a religious exemption request from Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins, announcing that the athlete will not be able to play at any home games in San Francisco, which has a vaccine mandate for large indoor events, until he fulfills the city's vaccination requirements. The NBA has announced the following: /6t1spKMU35- NBA Communications September 24, 2021 Their objections were largely based on the employees' beliefs that vaccines that used fetal cells in research, testing or production should not be put in their bodies. In Conway, Ark., Matt Troup, CEO of Conway Regional Health System, has granted 45 religious exemptions to employees who refused to get a COVID-19 vaccine. What one employer deems to be reasonable, another may not. What's reasonable when it comes to a reasonable accommodation? It does not have to be the accommodation requested by the employee. If the employer determines the belief is not sincere, it may deny the exemption request.īut even if an employee's religious belief is determined to be sincere, it's the employer who decides what the reasonable accommodation will be. They may ask questions about that employee's vaccination history or church attendance. The Coronavirus Crisis 'Love your neighbor' and get the shot: White evangelical leaders push COVID vaccinesįirst, employers may probe whether an employee's religious belief is in fact sincere. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says employers must provide reasonable accommodations for workers who have sincerely held religious beliefs - unless doing so poses an undue hardship. The right to request a religious exemption stems from Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which protects workers from discrimination on the basis of religion, among other things. What are employer obligations to workers when it comes to religious exemptions? Under the law, employers have a lot of discretion when granting religious exemptions. Already, some employers are taking a harder line than others. How many of those requests will ultimately be approved is unknown. In Los Angeles, roughly a quarter of the police department is expected to seek religious exemptions. In Washington, D.C., more than 400 fire and emergency medical workers applied for religious exemptions to the city's vaccine mandate. More and more employers are ordering workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19 without the option of getting tested instead. John the Divine in New York City sits empty as the rush for vaccinations winds down in June. The waiting area of a pop-up vaccination site at the Cathedral of St.

Religious exemption vaccination letter for work