Last week my company announced vaccine mandate with full vaccination required by 10/4/21 (or you will be terminated). My office staff participated in #walkoutwednesday this week (Along with a few hundred other people across our company) and this evening the local news reported that my employer, a large healthcare network in the region, has “added another exemption” and extended the deadline for employees to get fully vaccinated. The added exemption is an antibody test showing COVID antibodies. So, I realize this isn’t what we want yet, but a small amount of protesting has yielded a small amount of change and now they’ve given us more time to really ramp up the pressure! Since most of the network is already short staffed I can’t imagine they can easily fire all the dissenters. And people are really ready to lose their jobs over this!
I also would add — don’t assume your large employer has their legal ducks in a row over this because my company (15,000 employees) has embarrassed themselves more than once by rolling out things that had to be retracted due to legal issues. Use the resources on GAW to put up a hell of a battle.
Stick together and fight!!
I work for an organization about the same size as yours. One of the employees who had asked for a religious exemption was denied and on appeal said something like, who the hell are you to question my relationship with God, the appeal and exemption was granted. I believe this is what needs to happen if religious exemptions are denied. Throw it back in their faces. They have no right to question another's faith in God, it's a very private personal relationship. Our place gave us 2 months which has allowed us time to organize protests and get legal help. We may yet sue but it depends on what happens on the 30th of September if anyone is suspended and then fired after 28 day suspension without pay.
Thanks for that info. I don’t believe they can even ask your religion, can they? It could be, “the anti mRNA therapy for COVID religion” for that matter. I want to have integrity about my exemption but honestly I’ve decided that my right to decide what I put in my body is God given. So there. (BTW, I saw another comment of yours- love woodworking too and have considered it as an alternative should I have to stop being an NP)