Mercyhealth Pays $1 Million to Settle EEOC Religious Bias Charge

Mercyhealth, a health-care system operating hospitals and clinics in Illinois and Wisconsin, will pay more than $1 million to a class of employees and has offered to reinstate workers it terminated for refusing to comply with its Covid-19 vaccine policy, the EEOC said Wednesday.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s investigation found reasonable cause to believe that Mercyhealth discriminated against employees based on their religion by denying them a religious accommodation and either terminating their employment or subjecting them to a wage deduction. The charges also alleged that employees who were denied a religious accommodation and didn’t get the Covid-19 vaccine ...