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BART will pay $7.8 million to six former employees who were denied religious exemptions for the COVID vaccine

BART was ordered to pay $7.8 million to six former employees who were denied religious exemptions for the COVID vaccine

In 2021, BART required all employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or risk being fired.

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA. – BART must now pay $7.8 million to six former employees after a jury found the company discriminated against them after they sought a religious exemption for the COVID-19 vaccine.

Tonia Lewis-Williams said she worked as a utility worker on BART for 16 years. She says she was fired while on leave for not getting the COVID vaccine, and now a jury says she and five others should be compensated.

“I found out that some other colleagues were in the same situation as me, and we just knew that wasn't right,” Lewis-Williams said.

Lewis-Williams is one of six former BART employees who were each awarded just over $1 million in their lawsuit against the transit agency. They say they were fired for failing to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and were denied religious exemptions. All claim to be Christians. Jessica Barsotti is an attorney who handled the case during the trial.

“It's not like they asked for face-to-face with a million people. There were many ways they could have dealt with this and adapted to their situation. At the hearing it came out that the mandate had expired last year.” “If, for example, they had been furloughed until it was no longer there or a lot of things could have been done,” said Barsotti.

In 2021, BART required all employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or risk being fired.

Still, a jury ruled Wednesday that employees were denied religious accommodations that the company could have provided without burden. The non-profit law firm The Pacific Justice Institute also represented the employees and released this Statement which states, among other things:

“The railway employees chose to lose their livelihood rather than deny their faith. That alone shows the sincerity and depth of their beliefs. After nearly three years of fighting, these essential workers feel heard and understood by the jury and are overjoyed and.” “I am relieved by the verdict,” said General Counsel Kevin Snider.

“My story is one of many. The plaintiffs in this case were all wronged by BART, and this is a small victory for everyone who was fired for religious or medical reasons,” Lewis-Williams said.

Lewis-Williams says she enjoyed working at BART and still wants her job back. KTVU reached out to BART for comment but did not hear back from them in time for this report.

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