An employee of St. Thomas Health claims a hospital forced him to take a flu shot even though it contradicted the worker's religious beliefs.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed the lawsuit September 28, 2018.
It claims St. Thomas Health required all workers at Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital to have an annual flu shot, including employees of TouchPoint Support Services, which provides food and environmental services at the hospital.
The lawsuit goes on to state STH allowed a TouchPoint employee, because of his religious beliefs, to wear a protective mask instead of having a flu shot in 2013 and 2014. When this employee asked again in 2015 not to have a flu shot, the request was denied. When this employee refused to take a flu shot, he was told he could no longer work at the hospital.
The EEOC argues in the suit that STH's actions violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employers from denying reasonable accommodation of an employee’s sincerely held religious beliefs.
