Have you heard the incredible medical freedom news out of San Francisco? The following article is republished from SF Gate:
Six former BART employees are each due a $1 million payout after accusing the agency of wrongly firing them because of a COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
On Wednesday, a jury in the U.S District Court for the Northern District of California sided with the employees who refused the vaccine for religious reasons. BART has been ordered to pay the group more than $7.8 million, with the individual employees receiving between nearly $1.2 million and $1.5 million each.
In October 2021, BART’s Board of Directors approved the mandate, stating that all employees must be vaccinated against the virus, though it allowed for some exceptions, including religious accommodations.
In a class-action lawsuit filed in October 2022, employees said BART granted the vaccine exemption but denied accommodations. Some accommodations, which fall under California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act, could include job restructuring, job reassignment or modifications to an employee’s work (to work from home or have regular COVID tests, for example). Employees said when they refused to receive the vaccine, they were fired.
Between Oct. 14, 2021, and Feb. 16, 2022, approximately 179 employees submitted requests for COVID-19 religious exemptions, and 70 of them were approved, the lawsuit stated. But of the 70 employees who received an exemption, the plaintiffs said, none were given a religious accommodation.
In a statement, the Pacific Justice Institute, the law firm representing the six former employees, said one of the employees had worked at the agency for more than 30 years and had a 10-year streak of perfect attendance.
“The rail employees chose to lose their livelihood rather than deny their faith. That in itself shows the sincerity and depth of their convictions,” Kevin Snider, the lead attorney in the trial, said in the statement.
BART has “no comment” on the verdict, James Allison, a spokesperson for the agency, told SFGATE.
The agency is already facing a major financial deficit of about $300 million to $400 million per year, but state funds are expected to lessen the deficit in the 2025 fiscal year from $307 million to about $35 million.
By Madilynne Medina, News Reporter for SF Gate
Originally published on Oct. 24, 2024
Aria Morgan, a UCLA Honors graduate, is a dedicated civil rights, medical freedom, and free speech advocate. As Director of Content at Free Now Foundation and former Managing Editor of Children's Health Defense-CA, she brings extensive experience to her work. Aria also educates on health and wellness, supporting those with injuries and chronic conditions. Her diverse career is driven by a strong commitment to safeguarding individual freedoms and fostering well-being for everyone.
This evidently was a solid case. What happened to the roughly 100 others who had their exemption requests denied? And what about all the employees who didn’t want to take the shots because they were experimental?
Many plaintiffs decided to take the settlement agreement. Our next Legal Warriors Club call is Thursday at 7pm on Zoom – attorney litigator Jessica Barsotti, Clint Griess, and some of the plaintiffs will join. Please watch our newsletter today and Thursday where we will announce this call where you can ask your own questions directly of Jessica, Clint and the plaintiffs. 7pm on Zoom.
This is awesome! Congratulations! I hope this is the beginning of more to come~! I know many personally who lost their jobs for the exact same reasons… some of those from Kaiser Permanente. Would love to see those employees get the same compensation…. Better yet……….All of us who didn’t comply and got treated horribly, like you can’t eat here…….or you can’t go to this concert or go on this cruise because you aren’t vaccinated or you must wear a mask etc.. we all should get millions as well…. The government should pay us all!