The Savannah River Site’s management contractor requires employees seeking a medical exemption from a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination to submit a certified form from their doctor, while those seeking a religious waiver might have to be interviewed and file supporting documents from a minister.
That is according to Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) documents distributed to employees prior to last week, when those refusing the vaccines were instructed to turn in their access badges and prepare for potential termination on Nov. 30. The papers were included in a civil suit filed by about 75 employees who refused to be inoculated against COVID-19.
The lawsuit, which seeks an injunction against vaccine-related firings, was initially lodged in a South Carolina state court before the federal contractor was granted permission to remove the action to the U.S. District Court in South Carolina.
Information in employee exemption requests is considered by a committee of SRNS legal, human resources and equal employment opportunity specialists, according to court documents.
Employees who receive the “accommodations” must still be tested for COVID-19 every three days, even if they telecommute, and this could be done at the employee’s personal expense, according to the document. Likewise, workers issued exceptions might not be granted site access.
“Reasonable accommodation will only be provided where there is no undue hardship created for SRNS and where there is no direct threat posed to the health and safety of the individual or others in the work area,” according to the contractor’s document.
Employees who do not receive exemptions and refuse to be vaccinated will be fired and could owe the company for prior payments such as relocation expenses or tuition assistance, according to the document.
The plaintiffs’ attorney, Donald Brown, argues in the complaint that by ordering employees to take a vaccine, without knowledge of their individual medical conditions, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions is attempting to improperly “practice medicine” in South Carolina.
“We will also cite recent resolutions of the South Carolina Senate and the public position of the South Carolina Attorney General, further underscoring that preventing Vaccine Mandates, and in particular, opposing COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates is the current public policy of South Carolina,” the complaint reads.
