Class Action: Honeywell Discriminated Against Workers Who Requested Religious Exemption from Vaccine Mandate

New to ClassAction.org? Read our Newswire Disclaimer

A proposed class action looks to take Honeywell International, Inc. to task over its alleged discrimination against employees who requested religious exemptions from the defense contractor’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate.

The 91-page lawsuit was filed by more than four dozen current or former employees who claim Honeywell “only superficially” granted religious exemptions to its policy requiring all employees receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Honeywell, at the same time, “singl[ed]out these employees in order to publicly shame them … and in order to segregate them based upon their perceived disability status,” the plaintiffs allege.

The case alleges unvaccinated Honeywell employees were, for example, required to wear red- or orange-colored badges instead of the green badges given to “clean” vaccinated employees. Unvaccinated workers were also asked to utilize separate common areas and bathrooms, including port-a-potties, and submit to weekly testing or take unpaid leave, even if they worked remotely from home, the lawsuit says.

According to the case, Honeywell’s actions toward workers who requested exemptions were not intended to protect employees’ safety but instead “designed to harass and punish” the workers because they requested exemptions.

The lawsuit alleges Honeywell employees who requested vaccination exemptions were given poor performance reviews, harassed, denied promotions, placed on leave, constructively discharged, or even terminated based on their sincerely held religious beliefs or perceived disability status. According to the complaint, Honeywell’s alleged discrimination against these workers violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

In May 2021, Honeywell mandated that all employees receive the COVID-19 vaccine, and thereafter “undertook coercive and unlawful measures” in order to enforce its mandate, the filing claims. Although workers were permitted to request a religious or disability exemption from the mandate, the process to do so “was a sham” as Honeywell never intended to accommodate workers who requested exemptions, the suit alleges.

In June 2021, Honeywell held a contest in which workers who disclosed that they had received the COVID-19 vaccine could enter a drawing to win prizes, including a $5,000 cash prize, the suit says.

The next month, vaccinated employees were given green ESD badge holders indicating they were “clean,” i.e., vaccinated, while non-vaccinated employees were required to wear badges with orange or red holders and lanyards, according to the suit. Moreover, the case alleges workers with green badge holders were not required to wear masks and practice social distancing measures.

The plaintiffs allege Honeywell also sent “discriminatory and harassing emails” in order to coerce workers into receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, and threatened employees with termination if they failed to comply.

Last December, the defendant allegedly announced that a $500 surcharge would be added to non-vaccinated employees’ medical plans for 2022, and that the process for terminating those workers would begin in early January of this year. The surcharge was announced on the same date that the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia enjoined the government from enforcing the vaccine mandate for federal contractors and subcontractors nationwide, the filing adds.

According to the case, unvaccinated employees at one Honeywell location were “segregated and isolated” from coworkers, required to use outdoor portable toilets, and take lunch breaks outside with no air conditioning or heat. One of the plaintiffs says he was excluded from “Vaccinated Only” conference rooms, and another says she was required to stand “in the corner of the conference room” while vaccinated employees were permitted to sit at the table. 

Per the case, workers who requested religious exemptions from the vaccine mandate were given poor performance reviews or less desirable work in retaliation for requesting an exemption. One plaintiff claims to have seen a list on which Honeywell’s unvaccinated employees were labeled as “do not promote.”

Some Honeywell employees who requested religious exemptions from the vaccine mandate were pressured into “selling out their faith” and getting the vaccine, and many others were placed on unpaid leave or ultimately terminated, the suit says. 

The lawsuit looks to represent current or former Honeywell employees who, at any time since May 2021, objected to the company’s vaccine mandate because of sincerely held religious beliefs or a disability exemption or accommodation and were placed on unpaid administrative leave, discharged, constructively discharged, retaliated against or resigned due to their religious beliefs.

Get class action lawsuit news sent to your inbox – sign up for ClassAction.org’s free weekly newsletter here.