I inquired asking if being tested weekly (which is being treated differently than anyone else) is grounds for a discrimination case against the business I work for. My lawyer wrote back and confirmed.
Hello,
You are correct that there is a lot of science to back up your position. Ultimately you are saying that the weekly swab is not a reasonable accomodation and you want to re-negotiate.
An employee offered no accommodation or that regards certain accommodations as unreasonable, can make a proposal of a ‘reasonable’ accommodation to HR. The EEOC expects a dialog and the employer is required to review other options and also provide Measurable, Quantifiable proof why accommodations proposed by the employee are not feasible (would cause undue hardship to the employer). A mere verbal claim of undue hardship is not sufficient.
Accommodations are something that is meant to be discussed and agreed upon between employee and employer and the EEOC expects a negotiation until both sides agree on what is reasonable. Otherwise, according to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 Title VII, you are being discriminated against and have a legitimate legal claim against your employer
Ethylene Oxide.
Bad stuff
Safety data sheet for EO which the test swabs are soaked in https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2016-09/documents/ethylene-oxide.pdf
Thanks! Right after I asked you that I continued scrolling down and sure enough, someone further down in the comments mentioned EO and what it is. 🤦🏼♀️ You’d think after being on this site for so long I’d remember not to ask questions until I’m done reading everyone’s comments. 😬 Thanks again!