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CV NEWS FEED // A federal jury has ruled in favor of six former San Francisco transit workers, awarding each of them more than $1 million in damages after they lost their jobs due to a COVID vaccine mandate that did not accommodate their requests for religious exemptions.
According to a report from abc7 News, the plaintiffs argued that while San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) initially granted exemptions for their vaccine mandate, they were not offered sufficient alternatives such as remote work or regular COVID testing, which led to their job losses. Their requests for exemptions were eventually completely denied in November 2021.
Several employees of BART affirmed in 2021 that they were “not giving in” to the mandate, abc7 news reported. They filed a lawsuit against BART in 2022, rejecting the mandate that required vaccination, retirement, or resignation, according to a report from Bloomberg Law.
As a result of the October 23 ruling by a jury for the US District Court for the Northern District of California, BART is now required to pay a total of $7.8 million to the six former employees.
“After nearly three years of struggle, these essential workers feel they were heard and understood by the jury and are overjoyed and relieved by the verdict,” said Kevin Snider, the workers’ attorney.
BART is already facing significant financial challenges, with a reported deficit of $350 to $400 million, according to the abc7 report.
