Judge rules in favor of 7 Massachusetts State Troopers who lost jobs over refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine
[FoxNews] The 7 Massachusetts State Troopers will be reinstated and receive back pay.
Seven Massachusetts State Troopers, who were previously suspended due to a COVID-19 vaccine mandate, have prevailed in a legal battle with the Massachusetts' government and will be reinstated to their jobs, according to the State Police union in Massachusetts.
The news release from The State Police Association of Massachusetts, an independent arbitrator found that the state police violated the troopers' rights to anti-discrimination and affirmative action.
The association said that now-former Massachusetts' Governor Charlie Baker and Department of the State Police did not give troopers "reasonable accommodations to their sincerely held religious beliefs."
The news follows a long fought legal battle with the Massachusetts' government after Baker signed an executive order requiring all executive branch employees to provide proof of vaccination by October 2021 or face disciplinary action, including possible termination.
Eleven Massachusetts State Troopers and one sergeant were fired in April 2022 over their refusal to get vaccinated.
Following the arbitrator's ruling on Friday, seven state troopers will be reinstated and awarded their full seniority rights and all benefits minus any interim earnings and/or unemployment compensation, according to the union news release.
Posted by: Skidmark 2023-08-06 |