Silver Cross Hospital, based in New Lenox, Illinois, violated federal law when it failed to provide a reasonable accommodation to employees who requested to be exempt from receiving the COVID-19 vaccine because of religious and disability reasons, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in two lawsuits filed today.
One employee, who worked in the hospital’s lab, requested a religious accommodation because taking the COVID-19 vaccine conflicted with her religious beliefs and practices.
The other employee, who worked in the hospital’s insurance department, requested an accommodation based on disability after she had a severe allergic reaction to the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Silver Cross Hospital denied both employees’ requests for accommodation and retaliated against them, either by firing them or forcing them to quit, even though each could have been accommodated without undue hardship, according to the EEOC’s lawsuits.
The EEOC seeks monetary damages for the employees, including compensatory and punitive damages, and injunctive relief against the employer to prevent such unlawful conduct in the future.
Source: EEOC
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