{"id":2034466,"date":"2023-09-16T11:47:01","date_gmt":"2023-09-16T15:47:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-hershey-workers-fired-for-refusing-covid-shot-claim-religious-discrimination-in-court\/"},"modified":"2023-09-16T11:52:11","modified_gmt":"2023-09-16T15:52:11","slug":"exclusive-hershey-workers-fired-for-refusing-covid-shot-claim-religious-discrimination-in-court","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-hershey-workers-fired-for-refusing-covid-shot-claim-religious-discrimination-in-court\/","title":{"rendered":"Hershey workers fired for refusing COVID shot allege religious discrimination in court."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fexclusive-hershey-workers-fired-for-refusing-covid-shot-claim-religious-discrimination-in-court%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2034466&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div data-post-content=\"true\" class=\"post_content\" id=\"post_content\">\n<p>Kim Durham, a 58-year-old former employee of the Hershey Company, has been searching\u200c for a job since being fired \u2062for refusing \u2064to get a COVID shot for religious reasons. Despite the financial and emotional challenges she \u200bhas faced, Durham&#8217;s faith in God has only grown stronger \u200dover the past \u200c20 months.<\/p>\n<p>Durham is \u2062one of \u2063several former\u2064 Hershey employees who are currently seeking damages in court, claiming that the company failed to accommodate their religious beliefs. The job she lost was one she had \u2062intended to keep until retirement, but Hershey&#8217;s\u2062 COVID-19 vaccination policy\u2063 changed everything.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;God Is a Healer&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>While\u200c office staff were required to be fully vaccinated, manufacturing workers and \u200dretail workers were \u200bexempt from \u200dthe policy. Durham, who had \u2062been working remotely for a year \u200dand a\u200d half, believed that her immune system, created \u200dby God, was sufficient to fight off\u2062 any disease.<\/p>\n<p>She submitted a religious\u200c exemption\u2063 request, \u200cbut it was denied by Hershey, who questioned the validity of her faith.\u2064 The\u2064 company claimed that no accommodation could be made without risking the health and safety of\u200c others.<\/p>\n<p>Despite \u200dher \u2063efforts to \u200bseek \u2062clarification, Durham&#8217;s vaccination\u2062 status remained a point of contention, ultimately\u200c leading to \u200bher termination. She is not alone in \u200bher\u200d fight, as other employees are also suing Hershey for similar reasons.<\/p>\n<h2>Other Employees Suing<\/h2>\n<p>The Hershey Company, known for its \u200ciconic chocolate products, has faced criticism for \u2063its handling of\u2063 vaccine \u200dmandates. Thomas\u200d Szeltner, a senior manager with \u2063over 30 \u2064years of experience, was fired after his religious\u2064 exemption request was denied. He questioned how his decision not\u200d to get\u2064 vaccinated posed a threat to others.<\/p>\n<p>These cases are\u2062 just now reaching \u200bthe courts, as\u200b employees must first file discrimination charges and obtain a &#8220;Right to Sue&#8221; letter. \u200dDespite the challenges they \u2064face, \u200dthese individuals\u200c remain \u2063steadfast in their belief that their rights come from\u200b God, not from a company.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> \u2062 To what \u2062extent should employers\u200d enforce vaccine mandates, taking into consideration individual autonomy and personal choice?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Ots. Despite his impressive resume and years of \u200cexperience in the confectionery industry, Durham \u2063has been facing numerous rejections due to his decision to not get vaccinated against COVID-19. This \u200draises an important question about the extent to which vaccine mandates should be enforced by employers\u2063 and the \u200dpotential impact on individuals&#8217; employment prospects.<\/p>\n<p>Durham&#8217;s story \u200dis\u200c not unique, as \u2063many individuals around the \u200cworld are grappling with similar\u200c employment challenges due to their stance \u200bon COVID-19 vaccines. With\u2063 the pandemic still ongoing, governments and businesses are prioritizing \u200bvaccination efforts\u200d as\u2063 a means\u2063 to curb\u200c the spread of the virus and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kroger-closing-more-stores-due-to-seattles-mandated-hazard-pay-for-workers\/\" title=\"Kroger Closing More Stores Due To Seattle\u2019s Mandated \u2018Hazard Pay\u2019 For Workers\">protect public health<\/a>. This has led to the implementation of vaccine mandates, where\u200c employees are required to provide proof of vaccination\u200b or face consequences such \u200bas\u200b termination.<\/p>\n<p>Proponents of vaccine mandates argue that they are crucial \u200dfor protecting the workforce and customers from \u200cpotential \u200dexposure\u2062 to the virus. They \u200ccontend that in industries like food\u200b production, where close \u2062contact \u200cand interactions\u2063 with colleagues \u200cand customers are inevitable,\u2064 unvaccinated \u200demployees pose an increased risk to public health. From \u200bthis perspective, employers \u2064have \u2063a moral and legal obligation to ensure a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/crew-member-who-reportedly-gave-baldwin-gun-had-prior-safety-complaint-filed-against-him\/\" title=\"Crew Member Who Reportedly Gave Baldwin Gun Had Prior Safety Complaint Filed Against Him\">safe working environment<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>On the other \u200dhand, opponents of\u2064 vaccine\u2062 mandates believe that individual autonomy and personal choice should be respected. They\u2063 argue \u200cthat forcing \u2064employees to get vaccinated infringes upon their rights and freedoms.\u2064 Durham&#8217;s \u200ccase exemplifies the unforeseen consequences of vaccine mandates, as a \u2064hardworking employee with\u2063 a stellar record and\u200d significant experience \u2062now finds himself unemployed due to his personal decision.<\/p>\n<p>While the \u200cdebate on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/monday-october-18th-2021\/\" title=\"Monday | October 18th, 2021\">vaccine mandates continues<\/a>, it is essential to consider potential alternatives \u2062and accommodations for\u2063 individuals who choose not to get vaccinated. \u200dEmployers could\u2063 explore options\u2064 such as regular testing, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/large-companies-roll-back-remote-work-make-employees-show-up-to-the-office-at-least-part-of-the-week\/\" title=\"Large Companies Roll Back Remote Work, Make Employees Show Up To The Office At Least Part Of The Week\">remote work arrangements<\/a>, or enhanced \u200bsafety protocols to mitigate the risk posed by unvaccinated\u200d employees. These \u2062measures could strike a balance between protecting public health and respecting individual choices.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, it is crucial for employers to consider the \u200blegality and\u200b ethical \u200bimplications of vaccine \u2063mandates. In some \u2064jurisdictions,\u2062 mandating vaccinations may be challenged based on discrimination or\u2064 human rights laws, particularly in\u2064 cases \u200dwhere employees have legitimate medical or religious reasons for not being vaccinated. It is imperative for businesses to navigate this\u2062 delicate legal landscape \u200bcarefully and ensure \u2062compliance with applicable regulations.<\/p>\n<p>In conclusion, the \u200dcase\u2064 of Kim Durham highlights\u2063 the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-hershey-workers-fired-for-refusing-covid-shot-claim-religious-discrimination-in-court\/\" title=\"Hershey workers fired for refusing COVID shot allege religious discrimination in court.\">ongoing debate\u200b surrounding\u2063 vaccine mandates<\/a> and their impact on employment prospects.\u2064 While the necessity \u2063of vaccination to safeguard public health is widely\u2064 recognized, it is important to \u200balso acknowledge the need to respect individual autonomy. Employers should carefully\u2064 consider alternatives and accommodations\u200d for individuals who choose not to get\u200c vaccinated, balancing\u2064 the protection of\u2063 public health\u2062 with the \u2063preservation \u200dof individual rights. Ultimately, finding a middle\u2063 ground that addresses both these concerns will be crucial \u2062in navigating \u2063the post-pandemic employment landscape.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Her unemployment funds depleted, 58-year-old Kim Durham remains jobless. Despite this, her faith in God has grown stronger since being terminated by Hershey Company 20 months ago for religiously objecting to the COVID vaccine. She is among five individuals facing similar circumstances.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":104,"featured_media":2034467,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2034466","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2034466","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/104"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2034466"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2034466\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2034467"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2034466"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2034466"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2034466"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}