19 BCBS employees fired for not getting fully vaccinated
Pic JD Hickey
Nineteen BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee (BCBST) employees have been laid off by the company after refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
On Thursday, Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Office Dalya Qualls said that the vast majority of the company's more than 900 employees were fully vaccinated as of Oct. 5
“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve focused on a simple goal: protecting the health of BlueCross employees while continuing to meet the needs of our members,” Qualls said.
The company’s vaccine policy applied to job roles involving in-person contact with BlueCross members, business partners, and community members, as well as all vice-presidents and above.
Qualls added once the Pfizer vaccine earned full FDA approval, those employees had six weeks to submit proof of full vaccination or request a medical or religious accommodation.
The 19 employees simply did not want the vaccine.
"We appreciate their service to our members and our community throughout their time with BlueCross and we wish them well in the future," Qualls said.
Chattanooga Attorney C Mark Warren pointed to Tennessee being an at-will state.
Under at-will employment, employers can terminate or lay off an employee at any moment without notice, except for protected classes such as religion or gender.
"You cannot fire someone based upon a discriminatory reason but you can certainly fire someone for not following company policy," he said.
Warren added that while his own office did not have a mandate, he continued to strongly encourage employees to join in to keep the office healthy.
"It's well within any business that deals with the public that wants to protect their customers and clients and also their families to have a vaccine policy," he said.
Determinations on whether or not those laid off can receive unemployment benefits are made by the Department of Labor but experts have said that too will depend on good cause.
A spokesperson for BCBST added, “The 19 former employees would be eligible for rehire at BlueCross, either in a role that didn't require vaccination or into any position if they do choose to get vaccinated in the future.”
https://www.wrcbtv.com/story/44915998/update-19-bcbs-employees-fired-for-not-getting-fully-vaccinated