EEOC says employers can require the COVID-19 vaccine

[PA Democrat]

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has decided that employers can require workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and offered guidance on exceptions.

The guidelines, published Wednesday, mostly confirm what attorneys have been advising clients as vaccines begin to be distributed.

In essence, the EEOC said employers can require that employees get inoculated as a condition of going to work, unless an employee declines because of a disability or a sincerely held religious belief.

In such cases, the employer must offer a reasonable accommodation to the employee, such as working remotely, as long as the accommodation doesn’t cause “undue hardship” for the employer. If there is no accommodation possible, then an employer may prohibit the employee from entering the premises but not necessarily fire them. They must see if the employee has any other rights under federal or local laws, including the ability to take unpaid leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/eeoc-says-employers-can-require-the-covid-19-vaccine/ar-BB1c1k6J

[FarPoint]

1. This is the time a Mandate is essential to saving lives...

I support mandates for the covid-19 vaccine because we have a lethal group of political activists/ anti-maskers that are sabotaging our national recovery rate and prevention...

Mandated vaccines are not new....we have to stop this virus...

[secondwind]

3. Hear, hear ...

[Yavin4]

8. I could not agree more.

We need to kill off the virus before it mutates into something that we won't be able to deal with.

[dlk]

2. Of course they can

This is a public health and safety issue. Private business have every right to set safety standards for their employees and customers. Conversely, there’s no law that requires someone to work at a particular company there or do business there if they disagree with the safety requirements. Hard to believe public safety is a rabid debate in 2021.

[forgotmylogin]

9. Even in the most selfish interpretation that disregards employee safety...

It's a legitimate business decision to hire employees who have less of a chance of contracting a virus that will cause them to miss work for weeks or potentially die and need to be replaced or covered during illness.

This is different from a chronic condition that the employees couldn't obtain a free and easy vaccination for.

[JT45242]

4. surprised by this only for timing and current EUA status

As long as the vaccines are emergency use authorization, this seems premature and may not hold up in court.

If the US military, whos employees have far less rights than a normal workforce, cannot force a vaccine on soldiers until it is "approved" and not just "EUA" it seems like civilian employers won't be able to do it either.

However, since "approved" status will get here long before any cases make it through the courts most of the rulings will be dismissed as moot, I would think.

I think it is good policy -- but not until it shifts to normal approval.

[Yavin4]

7. Foreign health ministries from Israel to the EU to the UK to Canada to Japan

have all approved two of the vaccines. That's more than enough official approval.

[Johonny]

5. And should

I hate having to work in person at my company not even be allowed to ask if the person I'm working with for 10 hrs straight is vaccinated.

We need a general strike to demand it.

[Marrah_Goodman]

6. GOOD

[LetMyPeopleVote]

10. We need vaccine passports and to exclude/shun assholes who refuse to be vaccinated