Employees across Long Island are wondering if they will be forced
to be vaccinated now that the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine has been granted full
approval by the Food and Drug Administration.
News 12 viewers differed in their opinions on more vaccine mandates. Some says
they would rather get another job then get the vaccine while others say they
hope their company will require the vaccine.
President of the Long Island
Association Matt Cohen says that businesses are still recovering from the
pandemic and vaccinations are the way forward.
He
tweeted an open letter out to the business community Monday, saying, “To
continue this progress I am urging you to get vaccinated and asking you to
encourage employees to do the same.”
Labor attorney Chris Van DeWater says if an employee has no legitimate
exemption, then they have to abide by the company’s policy.
“And to that extent that the company has a policy in place, an employee can be
fired for not following that policy,” Van DeWater says. “They can also be
forced to resign but that’s up to the employer. What we expect to find is that
employees will be terminated.”
Van DeWater says employees being terminated for not following
company policy are not entitled to unemployment.
He says he does
foresee lawsuits and class action suits happening once more companies decide
what their plans will be.
Exemptions for not being mandated to get the vaccine include medical and
religious observances, but he says they can’t be claimed without some kind of
documentation.
In those cases, he says employers are obligated to
provide a reasonable accommodation like options to work from home, socially
distancing from other employees, wearing face coverings or undergoing regular
COVID testing.
New Gov. Kathy Hochul says that New Yorkers can expect new vaccine requirements
soon.