Insurer faces worker lawsuit over COVID vaccine mandate

A bunch of BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee (BCBST) workers who say they had been terminated on account of a Title VII violation over non secular freedom on account of a COVID-19 vaccine mandate have filed a category motion lawsuit in federal courtroom in opposition to the corporate.

After an investigation course of by the U.S. Equal Employment Alternative Fee (EEOC), the previous workers have acquired their proper to sue letters, in accordance with a press launch.

Between October and November 2021, BCBST let go 41 of its workers after the corporate applied a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for 900 customer-facing roles, in accordance with allegations made within the press launch. Many of those 900 workers had been full time telecommuters and had been working from residence through the pandemic, a spokesperson for the group has alleged.

In October, 19 workers had been fired adopted by an extra 22 a month later, simply weeks earlier than a Tennessee legislation was handed that prevented BCBST from imposing the mandate, it was alleged. Many submitted requests for non secular exemption and cheap lodging together with a telecommuting possibility (which was at present in place and was persevering with for the complete yr) or common testing, it has been claimed.

In response, BCBST gave these people 30 days to get the vaccine, discover a new job or be fired — requests for non secular exemption had been in the end denied, in accordance with the allegations.

They had been in the end let with none severance pay, misplaced years of accrued advantages whereas struggling humiliation and emotional misery, it was alleged.

“It has been very exhausting each emotionally and financially. I beloved my place, deliberate on retiring from BCBST and to be discriminated in opposition to, my exemption request not accepted, and fired for this has been devastating,” mentioned Anne F., one of many 41 workers who filed the lawsuit.

“To be solid apart and handled as lower than was, merely put, a slap within the face,” mentioned Kerrie I, one other worker from the group.

BCBST was not instantly obtainable for remark.