Blue Cross Blue Shield boots unvaccinated staffers in Lansing

Local union pushback to vaccine mandate leads to unfair labor complaint

Posted

FRIDAY Dec. 10 — At least two dozen unvaccinated employees at the Lansing offices of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and the Accident Fund were put on unpaid leave this week for failing to follow through with a company mandate to get their COVID-19 shots by Wednesday.

And unless they decide to get the jabs by early next month, they’ll all be fired from their jobs, according to union officials and unvaccinated employees affected by the company’s policies.

“We’ve had conversations about the policies and we’ve been meeting with the administration, but they won’t engage in bargaining, so to speak,” said Tammy Thompson, an officer at UAW Amalgamated Local 2256, which represents more than 300 staffers at the Accident Fund. “Usually, we’ll always negotiate terms and conditions of employment. That’s not happening. And now we have employees who are just out of a paycheck — and right before the holiday season.”

An executive order issued in September by President Joseph Biden to require federal contractors and subcontractors, health care workers and staff of businesses that employ 100 people or more to be fully vaccinated by Jan. 18 — meaning those receiving two-dose vaccines would’ve needed to have their first shots by Wednesday (Dec. 8) and second shots by Jan. 4.

On Tuesday, a federal judge blocked the Biden's administration’s ability to enforce the vaccine requirement for certain federal contractors, leaving all three mandates in legal limbo.

Despite the judicial pause , the Accident Fund (and its parent company, Blue Cross Blue Shield) is still requiring its staff to be vaccinated as if the ruling never happened — requiring all employees to have started their vaccine series on Wednesday or have received company approval for a medical or religious exemption to excuse them from the mandate. 

Those who failed to get the first shot by this week were put on unpaid leave. And they now have fewer than four weeks to change their minds and get the jabs, or they’ll be out of jobs in January.

“Our workplace policies and safety protocols have evolved over many months — and our employees have demonstrated, time and again, their flexibility and commitment to manage through these changes,” Blue Cross officials said in a statement. “Employees must be fully vaccinated or have an approved medical or religious accommodation by Tuesday, Jan. 4 or be separated from the company. Those on leave can return on Jan. 5 if they become vaccinated.”

Blue Cross officials refused to disclose exactly how many employees were put on unpaid leave across the company this week for failing to adhere to the company rules, but UAW officials in Lansing said they counted at least 24 unvaccinated employees who were put on unpaid leave on Wednesday at the downtown offices of Blue Cross Blue Shield and the Accident Fund.

They also estimated that number to include dozens of other non-unionized staff members while contract personnel will continue to have an option for weekly testing in lieu of being fully vaccinated. 

“They’re threatening us with our jobs, making a mockery out of religious exemptions and medical exemptions and trying to enforce a mandate that, at least right now, doesn’t even exist,” said UAW representative Scott Dedic. “The UAW is not against the vaccine, but also we think it should be a choice for people. And in this case, they’re just trying to ram it down our throats.”

John Adam, who is identified in this story with a fictitious name to protect his identity, has worked at Accident Fund in Lansing for the last three to five years. He told City Pulse this week that he applied for a religious exemption because as a devout Satanist, he doesn’t believe people should have the ability to force other people to inject a foreign substance into their body. 

He also said his religious accommodation was denied after a meeting with corporate officials who questioned him on his beliefs and wouldn’t allow his union representative to be present.

“Once this came down, employees started to panic a bit. Many went out and got vaccinated. Some of us — like me — just held on to our seats to see how whacky this was going to get,” Adam explained. “Part of my religion is my personal belief in giving people a choice. I just don’t think we should be telling other people what to do with their bodies, and they just didn’t care.”

After taking what he thought was a stable job at Accident Fund a few years ago, Adam said he had plans earlier this year to “plant roots” in Lansing and start a family. This week, he said he’s brushing up his resume and preparing to send out job applications after he gets fired in January.

“As much as I love the company that I have worked for, a lot has changed,” Adam said.

Jane Eve, who is also identified using a fictitious name to protect her identity, said she was forced off the job this week after Blue Cross also rejected her attempted religious exemption — though she was allowed to have union representation attend her meeting with corporate. 

Her argument, she said, was based on the (inaccurate) belief that COVID-19 vaccines contain fetal cells. And as a Christian who believes “abortion is murder,” Eve said that she is diametrically opposed to using any pharmaceutical product that involves stem cell research.

While Johnson & Johnson used a fetal cell line to produce and manufacture their vaccine, none of the vaccines actually contain fetal cells. Many faith-based groups — including Michigan Catholic Bishops — have publicly noted that adherents can morally choose to receive the shot.

“Things kept changing. It was a recommendation then it was a mandate. We were going to be allowed to do weekly testing and then that wasn’t an option,” Eve said. “For me, the biggest impact is going to be paying my bills. It affects me greatly because it’s how I keep my heat on and how I put food on the table. I also carry insurance for my household. It’s going to be tough.”

Like Adam, Eve said she plans to pursue other job opportunities when she’s fired in January.

“This has been nothing but undue stress on my whole household for the last month,” she said.

UAW officials said that other employees have also had their vaccine exemptions rejected for valid medical reasons, including immunocompromised staff with a doctor’s note. And despite attempts to negotiate a policy that includes weekly testing, Blue Cross has refused to budge, Thompson explained. Her biggest concern: A failure to bargain with the union on staff policies.

“This isn’t as much about the vaccine as it’s about a duty for the company to engage in bargaining over the terms and conditions of employment. They had leaned on the mandate, and since there’s no mandate, it’s their obligation to involve us in the discussion,” Thompson said.

Blue Cross Blue Shield officials said that they have been — and will continue to be — in discussions with the UAW regarding various aspects of the decision but declined to comment further on the situation. They also noted that more than 1,500 unvaccinated employees have either got the shot or had an exemption approved since the vaccine mandate was announced.

“We value and respect all our employees and recognize there are strong and diverse views on the issue of the vaccine, and on the issue of mandating it,” according to a statement from the company. “We did not arrive at this decision lightly. We also recognize our responsibility to do our part, as a health care leader, to finish the fight against COVID-19 in our communities.”

An unfair labor practice complaint was filed against Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan with the National Labor Relations Board on Wednesday alleging that the company illegally implemented unilateral changes without the UAW’s consent. No hearings or arbitration have been scheduled.

Last year, Blue Cross Blue Shield was the first workplace in the state to be penalized for making employees come to work when their jobs could be done from home, MLive reports. Last December, at least a dozen Accident Fund employees in Lansing — all members of UAW Amalgamated Local No. 2256 — said they had been unfairly required to report to work amid the pandemic while emergency health orders had then required most work to be done from home.

The Michigan Occupational Health and Safety Administration also reportedly fined Blue Cross Blue Shield $7,000 after regulators found a litany of violations tied to union claims of apathetic COVID-19 protocols — including not keeping people 6 feet apart in the office, not having sufficient barriers between workers and maintaining an incomplete preparedness plan.

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here




Connect with us