Mass General Brigham employees suing over vaccine mandate lose bid for injunction, face termination

Employees of Mass General Brigham who are suing the hospital system after being denied coronavirus vaccine exemptions lost the legal bid for a preliminary injunction and now face termination.

More than 260 employees have joined the lawsuit after being denied religious or medical exemptions to the vaccine mandate which was announced in June.

The employees faced unpaid leave which began last month and could be terminated as soon as Friday for non-compliance.

Attorney Ryan McLane, who is representing the employees argued discrimination and said it’s “unlikely the workers will spread the disease in the hospital.” He claimed loss of employment will cause irreparable harm to the employees.

McLane proposed coronavirus testing measures instead of vaccination for the employees, which U.S. District Court Chief Judge Dennis Saylor shot down, saying it creates a burden for the hospital system due to the manpower, resources and time needed for testing.

Attorneys for Mass General Brigham argued that preserving the public image of the hospital through its coronavirus safety protections is “lifesaving,” adding, “Anything less than a 100% vaccination rate is an issue for a hospital.”

Among MGB’s 80,000 employees across the state, there have been about 2,400 requests for a vaccine exemption. Nearly 2,000 were for religious reasons while another 400 were for medical reasons. A total of 234 exemptions were granted.

Saylor’s ruling is preliminary and the case will continue. The parties will meet for a scheduling conference next week.

Developing…