Mayo Clinic refused employee's COVID-19 vaccine exemption request, lawsuit says
Mayo implemented a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy around Oct. 13, 2021, which required all of its employees to receive the vaccine by Dec. 3, 2021, unless they received a medical or religious exemption, according to the court document. Anyone who didn't follow the policy would be terminated.
On Nov. 1, 2021, the security guard, who was not named in the lawsuit, submitted an accommodation form to the clinic requesting that he be exempt from the policy, stating "his religious observance or practice conflicted with the COVID-19 vaccine," the complaint said.
According to the lawsuit, the form stated he is a member of an Assemblies of God Church, which believes the vaccine contained ingredients that "were inconsistent with his religious belief," and he could not "put those ingredients in his body."
The employee also believed that if he were to die from the vaccine, it would be considered suicide and undermine God's faith. The security guard said he would be willing to wear a mask and take COVID-19 tests if he were granted an exemption to the policy.
On Nov. 21, 2021, Mayo denied the request, stating the employee didn't meet the criteria for a religious exemption, the lawsuit said. The security guard submitted a reconsideration request the next day. Mayo denied the reconsideration request on Dec. 1 and said he must get the vaccine or else he would be fired.
The clinic issued a final written warning to the security guard on Dec. 3, saying he would be terminated if he did not receive the vaccine by January 2022.
The EEOC alleges Mayo violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits companies from discriminating against employees based on religion. The federal agency is seeking monetary damages, though it's unclear how much.
According to the lawsuit, the EEOC is also asking Mayo to implement policies and programs that "provide equal employment opportunities for religious persons."
A spokesperson for Mayo Clinic said the company would not comment "due to pending litigation."
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