Three office workers from a social service agency have been suspended without pay for a week as they refused to take a flu shot.
When the workers return to work, it is expected that they will be fired unless the agency change their policy.
Nj.com reports:
BYPASS THE CENSORS
Sign up to get unfiltered news delivered straight to your inbox.
You can unsubscribe any time. By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use
Megan Duncan, Alanda Watson and Denise Mercurius — whose case was profiled by NJ Advance Media Thursday — said they were informed of the discipline during a meeting at their Burlington Township office building, the headquarters for Lutheran Social Ministries of New Jersey.
The agency, which runs two nursing homes, an adoption agency and an array of other services throughout the state, implemented the policy for all employees to reduce the risk of sickening clients, some of whom are under stress or have compromised immune systems, the agency’s president has said.
Duncan, Watson and Mercurius, who have worked at the agency for years, say they should not be forced to receive the flu vaccine, and they contend that wearing a mask in an office setting is embarrassing, ostracizing and impractical.
In individual meetings with the women Friday morning, the agency’s director of human resources told them they are valued employees and asked them to reconsider their opposition to the surgical mask, the women said. All three said they remain firm in their resistance, even if it means they will be fired.
“If nobody ever stood up for something, this country wouldn’t be where it is today,” said Watson, 36, a mother of four from Willingboro. “Every time you stand up for what you believe in, it’s a sacrifice, and in this case it’s our jobs.
“There are things more important than my job,” she added. “My body is of paramount importance.”
The three women are employed as accountants or billing specialists in the headquarters, where 32 people work.
Colleen Frankenfield, Lutheran Social Ministries’ president, said earlier this week that about half of those in the office frequently visit the agency’s nursing homes and other facilities, raising the possibility of cross-contamination.
Frankenfield did not immediately return a call for comment Friday.
Mercurius, 45, of Maple Shade, said the human resources director did not explicitly say she would be fired at the end of the suspension, which runs from Monday to Friday next week. But Mercurius said she expects that will be the outcome unless Lutheran Social Ministries changes course.
“By telling us we have to wear the mask, that’s not really giving us a reasonable alternative,” she said. “I’m not going to change my mind.”
Duncan, 30, of Howell, said the company is to inform the women of the “next step” when they return to work Nov. 16.
The women are among a growing number of employees facing termination across the nation for refusing to take the vaccine, which has been linked in very rare circumstances to serious illness.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and many other health agencies, including New Jersey’s Department of Health, strongly recommend flu shots for all employees in health care settings, saying high compliance among workers has been proven to reduce hospitalizations and prevent deaths.
Yet some remain deeply suspicious of the vaccine and say they should not be forced to take it as a condition of employment. The rising mandates have led to lawsuits in several states.
Duncan, Watson and Mercurius say they are healthy women and are exceedingly careful about what they put into their bodies. They also argue the vaccine is not always effective against various flu strains.
“People who get the vaccine can still get sick,” Duncan said. “So if they’re so concerned about the flu, then everyone should wear the mask in the office.”
Sean Adl-Tabatabai
“Suspicious”. More pr spin. Read the insert.
“Suspicious”. More pr spin. Read the insert.
These workers need to stand firm and stand for what they believe in and NOT take the flu shots. Just lake week, there was a article of a girl who became paralyzed and vision impaired after taking a flu shot, here’s the link: http://abc13.com/health/family-believes-flu-shot-left-daughter-paralyzed-vision-impaired/1058567/
Now she’s in the hospital and could be damaged for the rest of her life. So please, anyone reading this, as of now DO NOT I repeat DO NOT let your children or yourselves take these flu shots or any vaccines. They are dangerous, filled with diseases, and the reason why these worker’s agency as pressuring to take this and trying to make it mandatory and not giving them their right or option not to take it is because the agency has been paid off by the pharmaceutical company that wants people to take flu shots. The agency are just making money off of every person that takes the shot, regardless if they get sick or not, they don’t care about that, they only care about the money.
All of these diseases and vaccines are man-made by pharmaceutical companies and scientist, and they use them to make money off of people, and to seriously experiment on people. The experiments these scientists have been doing on humans never stopped, and it’s still happening as of now as you can see. DO NOT take any flu shots, vaccines, or anything from these doctors, scientists, or pharmacy companies that want to profit off of you. These workers need to stay strong and keeping standing up for themselves with GOD by their side to win this battle, or else the same thing might happen to them, that happened to the girl in the article that I posted who became paralyzed and vision impaired after taking a flu shot. People try as much as you can to protect yourselves from these people, and sometimes you do what you have to do, even sacrifice your job for justice.
If nobody stands up and lets stuff like this continuously happen, then the new world order will happen and become complete, and we will all be forced to be vaccinated and much much much worse. Nevertheless, stay safe everyone, and God bless.
These workers need to stand firm and stand for what they believe in and NOT take the flu shots. Just lake week, there was a article of a girl who became paralyzed and vision impaired after taking a flu shot, here’s the link: http://abc13.com/health/family-believes-flu-shot-left-daughter-paralyzed-vision-impaired/1058567/
Now she’s in the hospital and could be damaged for the rest of her life. So please, anyone reading this, as of now DO NOT I repeat DO NOT let your children or yourselves take these flu shots or any vaccines. They are dangerous, filled with diseases, and the reason why these worker’s agency as pressuring to take this and trying to make it mandatory and not giving them their right or option not to take it is because the agency has been paid off by the pharmaceutical company that wants people to take flu shots. The agency are just making money off of every person that takes the shot, regardless if they get sick or not, they don’t care about that, they only care about the money.
All of these diseases and vaccines are man-made by pharmaceutical companies and scientist, and they use them to make money off of people, and to seriously experiment on people. The experiments these scientists have been doing on humans never stopped, and it’s still happening as of now as you can see. DO NOT take any flu shots, vaccines, or anything from these doctors, scientists, or pharmacy companies that want to profit off of you. These workers need to stay strong and keeping standing up for themselves with GOD by their side to win this battle, or else the same thing might happen to them, that happened to the girl in the article that I posted who became paralyzed and vision impaired after taking a flu shot. People try as much as you can to protect yourselves from these people, and sometimes you do what you have to do, even sacrifice your job for justice.
If nobody stands up and lets stuff like this continuously happen, then the new world order will happen and become complete, and we will all be forced to be vaccinated and much much much worse. Nevertheless, stay safe everyone, and God bless.