Religious exemption not enough to save jobs as vaccination mandate looms

State employees whose deadline is fast approaching to obtain the COVID-19 vaccine by October 18 are learning that even a true religious exemption cannot save their careers.

Although Governor Jay Inslee’s vaccination mandate allows for religious and medical exemptions, these exemptions are subject to accommodation.

“All requests for reasonable accommodation based on sincere religious belief will be fully and appropriately considered,” said Mike Faulk, press secretary to Governor Inslee. “It is also important to understand that even when a person has a sincere religious objection to a requirement of their job, their job may be terminated if the employer is not able to reasonably accommodate that worker.”

This is the case of a veteran Washington State Patrol soldier, who discovered this week that he could not continue to patrol the roads without being vaccinated.

The soldier, a 15-year veteran who requested that his name not be disclosed, was granted a religious exemption on the basis of a “strong religious belief”, only to be told that his option had to be reassigned.

“Performing the essential functions of your job without being vaccinated poses a threat to your health or safety and that of others in the workplace,” read the September 7 letter from the Human Resources Division of WSP.

“After carefully considering your job classifications, your essential duties and your work environment, we have determined that the only reasonable accommodation we can offer is the possibility of reassignment.”

The letter requested a copy of the soldier’s most up-to-date resume, noting that while efforts would be made to find him a new job, there was no promise.

“Reassignment options are limited to funded vacancies for which the employee seeking accommodation meets the qualifications for the position. In the reassignment process, we will not eliminate an essential function or task from the potential job, create a new position, displace another employee, or offer you a promotion. Although we will attempt to assign you to a position that is considered lateral to your current position, please understand that positions at a lower salary scale and / or job class will also be considered. “

“The WSP is not fully aware of the impacts this mandate will have on our agency workforce and is unlikely to be fully realized until the October deadline,” said Chris Loftis, communications director for the WSP. “We won’t speculate on the number at this point, but with the amount we invest in recruiting, training and equipment, any loss of staff would be a tragedy, especially in light of our already shortages of FTE ( full-time employees) No. to mention the loss of friends and colleagues whom we care about and respect deeply. ”

Loftis said the very nature of the profession requires the agency to follow Gov. Inslee’s orders.

“We are bound by law and our oaths to follow his legal guidelines as governor and we will do as we always do, with loyalty and grace,” he said.

The Washington State Patrol isn’t the only law enforcement agency facing the looming impacts of the warrant. The Seattle Police Department, which has already seen a record number of officers leave the agency in the past 18 months, is also under warrant.

Although no official estimate has been released, a source within the SPD told Q13 News that a survey of union members found up to 200 leaders were unvaccinated.

“It’s actually impossible for anyone to claim – beyond mere speculation – that they know how many SPD officers have been vaccinated,” said Kelsey Nyland, spokesperson for Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan. . “This is because our vaccination confirmation form – which is the only tool to confirm the vaccination rate of City workers – has not yet been distributed.”

Mayor Durkan remained optimistic that the remaining refractories will receive the vaccine before Oct. 18, but has repeatedly declined to say whether she will follow up on those dismissed who fail to do so.

RELATED: Seattle mayor defends vaccination mandate, refuses to say if she will fire noncompliant officers

“The police officers that I know, that I have spoken with, that I have worked with in my career – they believe in service,” she said in an August 10 interview. “And these people are going to step in and do the right thing. I really believe they will.”

Meanwhile, as state law enforcement faces staff shortages, some smaller departments are hoping to attract good candidates who are fired elsewhere – even those who have been fired for refusing the vaccine.

“We would definitely consider them,” said Marysville Police Chief Erik Scairpon, whose department is not under warrant.

Marysville PD has already hired three former Seattle officers who left during the city’s controversial 2020 funding debate.

“The amount of police experience they bring with them, their commitment to community policing, has really been a phenomenal addition,” he said. “When we are able to remove someone from another department, even a larger jurisdiction, it can really help us with that experience factor.”

He said his agency had 11 vacancies out of a budgeted force for 76 commissioned officers and was offering up to $ 20,000 for skilled lateral transfers in the state. However, he said he was unsure whether the side bonus would apply to agents fired from other agencies because of the vaccine.

“We will have to assess this,” he said. “I haven’t established a ban, if you will, for that.

Chief Scairpon said he was vaccinated and encouraged his employees to get vaccinated, but believes his agents should make an informed choice themselves. He said about 75% of the officers there are fully vaccinated.

After an article was published in the Everett Herald highlighting his willingness to hire unvaccinated agents, Chief Scairpon said he received a call from a concerned community member who wanted to know why.

“We have a public security mandate. I have a mission as police chief to make sure our community stays safe, ”he said.

“I’m looking at the big picture for law enforcement. We have about 11,000 police officers in various capacities across the state. This is the lowest level of staff per capita in the country. the next day we were to lose 900 police officers, which is not the case beyond a reasonable doubt, I would be really concerned about public safety. “

Stay connected with Q13 News on all platforms:

DOWNLOAD: Q13 Weather news and applications
LOOK: Q13 Live News
SUBSCRIBE: Q13 FOX on YouTube
BRIEF DAILY: Subscribe to our newsletter
TO FOLLOW: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram