[h=1]They said no to company-mandated flu shot and now fear firing. Here's why.[/h]
Mark Mueller | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on November 05, 2015 at 7:30 AM, updated November 06, 2015 at 2:45 PM
Megan Duncan, Alanda Watson and Denise Mercurius will report to work Friday morning, as they have done every day for years. Once there, they expect to be fired.
The three women ? employees of Lutheran Social Ministries of New Jersey, an agency that helps the elderly and the disadvantaged throughout the state ? are among a rising number of workers facing termination for refusing to get a flu shot or, as an alternative, wear a surgical mask in the workplace.
The trend ? supported by anecdotal evidence, a proliferation of lawsuits in recent years and interviews with employment attorneys ? has been driven by an increase in corporate policies mandating flu shots for all employees in hospitals and other health care settings.
What differentiates Duncan, Watson and Mercurius from most of those fired, however, is that they're not doctors or nurses, and they don't work in a hospital...
