RTD Metro Business law columnist, Karen Michael. Employees who were given a mandate to receive the COVID-19 vaccine or lose their jobs have agreed to settle their class action lawsuit filed against their employer for $10,337,500. Hospital workers from the NorthShore University HealthSystem were given an October 31, 2021, deadline to receive their vaccines. Fourteen workers filed a class action lawsuit against the hospital claiming they were discriminated against based on their religion. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act requires that employers provide reasonable accommodations to employees whose religious beliefs conflict with a workplace rule unless doing so would create an undue hardship. Employees requesting a reasonable accommodation are entitled to an individualized assessment and interactive discussion to determine if a reasonable accommodation can be provided. During the pandemic, some employers wrongly believed they could avoid compliance with this federal law in the name of the pandemic. In the Class Action Settlement Agreement filed with the U.S. District Court on July 29, 2022, the “Settlement Class” includes “All NorthShore Team Members who: (1) between July 1, 2021, and January 1, 2022, submitted to NorthShore a request for religious exemption and/or accommodation from its Vaccine Policy requiring COVID-19 vaccination; […]
