Judge denies request to halt vaccine mandate for Washington state employees
A federal judge has denied a request to halt Washington’s vaccine mandate for state workers ahead of an Oct. 18 deadline.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of 105 state and city employees, including workers from the Seattle Fire Department, the Bellingham Fire Department, the Washington State Department of Transportation, the state Department of Corrections, Washington State Patrol, and more.
It claimed that the state conducted an “unconstitutional application” of the vaccine mandate by “categorically” denying accommodations for religious and medical exemptions, which had allegedly included the state offering temporary unpaid leave until workers could “return to work vaccinated.”
It further alleged that the state’s mandate resulted in the “disproportionate dismissal of people of color from civil service and health care” roles.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/judge-denies-request-to-halt-vaccine-mandate-for-washington-state-employees/ar-AAPzVfY
