NEW YORK, Dec 1 (Reuters) – Bristol Myers Squibb Co was sued on Wednesday by 4 workers who mentioned the drugmaker refused to grant them non secular exemptions from its COVID-19 vaccination requirement, and threatened to fireplace them on Dec. 6 for remaining unvaccinated.
The plaintiffs within the proposed class motion filed in Manhattan federal court docket accused Bristol Myers of violating a federal civil rights regulation often called Title VII by “systematically manufacturing” causes to refuse non secular lodging.
The plaintiffs allege that Bristol Myers is concluding their politics is the actual purpose they will not be vaccinated, no matter whether or not they have honest non secular beliefs that independently would justify exemptions.
Additionally they mentioned the corporate is ignoring honest non secular beliefs which are “inconvenient” to denial selections, even because it accommodates workers with medical causes to not be vaccinated.
Bristol Myers mentioned its precedence through the pandemic has been the well being and security of communities, workers and sufferers.
“Our coverage that each one eligible workers in (the) U.S. and Puerto Rico be vaccinated towards COVID-19 is per this security precedence,” the New York-based firm mentioned in a press release.
Wednesday’s lawsuit got here because the Biden administration seeks to require vaccinations for tens of millions of employees at massive personal U.S. employers, a mandate can be being challenged in court docket.
Many well being officers think about widespread vaccinations one of the simplest ways to assist management the pandemic.
The Bristol Myers plaintiffs, all with six-figure salaries, are Carrie Kefalas, a doctor overseeing scientific trial threat administration for drug growth; biotechnologist John Lott; knowledge integrity supervisor Jeremy Beer, and biologist Kamila Dubisz.
They objected to the corporate requiring they fill out “inquisitorial” questionnaires about their causes for non secular exemptions.
The grievance mentioned Bristol Myers rejected Kefalas’ request as a result of it thought her beliefs have been insincere and he or she may not settle for mask-wearing or common COVID-19 testing. The corporate supplied no causes for the opposite rejections, the grievance mentioned.
Bristol Myers referred in Kefalas’ rejection letter to a number of statements it mentioned she made publicly, together with that its vaccine requirement was a “communist, unamerican follow [sic].”
The lawsuit seeks a everlasting injunction towards Bristol Myers’ firing the plaintiffs or equally located workers.
Bristol Myers ended 2020 with about 17,000 U.S. workers.
The case is Kefalas et al v Bristol-Myers Squibb Co, U.S. District Court docket, Southern District of New York, No. 21-10204.
Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Enhancing by Invoice Berkrot and Cynthia Osterman
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