Mariya Frost of the Washington Policy Center illustrates how Washington continues to maintain its state of emergency and vaccine mandate
Mariya Frost
Washington Policy Center
Washington’s Attorney General Bob Ferguson, like Secretary Millar at the Washington State Department of Transportation, claims to promote a diverse and inclusive workplace that values and “upholds the dignity” of every employee. But if actions speak louder than words, these agencies do not live up to their stated values.
Like our previous research on the Department of Transportation’s punitive firings due to the Governor’s vaccine mandate, we have yet another example of the unnecessary firing of an employee with an approved religious exemption to the COVID-19 vaccine.
Natalia Corduneanu worked as a paralegal for the Attorney General’s office for over five years. She had an approved religious exemption and worked entirely from home under a mandatory telework status.
The Attorney General announced a return to in-person work effective April 4th. Natalia was notified in mid-March that she would not be accommodated with continued telework and must be fully vaccinated or she would be fired by close of business on April 1st. Natalia submitted an appeal, but the Attorney General refused to reverse his decision.
Natalia is Ukrainian and is financially supporting her family members in Vinnytsia, which was struck by Russian missiles in early March. She asked to delay her termination to July, which would allow her additional income to support her mother and father, as well as others, who are fighting to survive the war.
This request, too, was rejected.
In a note to her work colleagues, she said, “It is hard to explain with words how it made me feel. I did not even want to ask how a three-month long termination delay would inflict undue hardship upon the agency.”
You can read her full email here.
As we’ve noted before, the vaccine mandate for state employees is yielding negative returns and is doing more harm than good at this point. We saw this clearly after WSDOT fired over 400 employees, many of them road maintenance workers, right as we headed into the winter season.
Even Oregon has lifted its vaccine mandate for nearly 40,000 state employees, with Governor Kate Brown saying that the “’extraordinary emergency’ orders are no longer necessary as ‘we learn to live with this virus.’” She ended Oregon’s COVID state of emergency on April 1, saying “Emergency powers cannot – and should not- go on forever. Instead, these response efforts should be transitioned to normal government processes and authorities, as soon as possible, to ensure that essential checks and balances remain in place.”
Washington continues to lead from behind, maintaining its state of emergency and harsh vaccine mandate. Firing someone supporting a family in Ukraine while many recognize the mandate is unnecessary seems vindictive and callous.
Mariya Frost is the director of the Coles Center for Transportation at the Washington Policy Center.
Also read:
- Letter: Religious, medical, and personal exemptions to immunizations for students
Camas resident Margaret Tweet writes in support of parents’ rights to seek religious, medical, or personal exemptions for student immunizations. - Opinion: DOJ Files Ninth Circuit Amicus Brief in support of WSU football coach fired for not taking COVID vaccine
Bill Bruch reacts to the U.S. Department of Justice filing an amicus brief in support of Nick Rolovich’s appeal, arguing his firing by WSU violated federal religious freedom protections. - Opinion: Why Bob Ferguson is wrong and what SMF is doing about it
Silent Majority Foundation challenges Bob Ferguson over alleged rights violations in federal lawsuit. - Silent Majority Foundation files lawsuit on behalf of former state employees who were terminated under policy requiring a COVID-19 vaccine
Silent Majority Foundation files a lawsuit on behalf of former state employees alleging constitutional violations over a COVID-19 vaccine mandate. - Letter: New movie on COVID vaccine victims deserves a watch
Richard Beamish discusses the documentary on COVID vaccine victims, urging viewers to watch. - Vancouver screening scheduled of ‘Vaxxed III: Authorized to Kill’
Vancouver screening of ‘Vaxxed III: Authorized to Kill’ scheduled for Sept. 18 at Vancouver Mall 23. - Study: Risk for getting COVID rises with each shot
A new report from the Epoch Times warns that the more COVID shots an individual has taken, the higher the risk of getting COVID. - ‘That’s a scandal’: CDC knew COVID shots caused deaths, but lied with public denials
A new report from the Epoch Times reveals its investigation shows that the CDC knew of the links between the COVID shots and death – and lied about them.
In Exec. Order No. 13798 § 4, 82 Fed. Reg. 21675 (May 4, 2017), the United States Attorney General wrote:
The freedom of religion is a fundamental right of paramount importance, expressly protected by federal law.
Religious liberty is enshrined in the text of our Constitution and in numerous federal statutes. It encompasses the right of all Americans to exercise their religion freely, without being coerced to join an established church or to satisfy a religious test as a qualification for public office. It also encompasses the right of all Americans to express their religious beliefs, subject to the same narrow limits that apply to all forms of speech. In the United States, the free exercise of religion is not a mere policy preference to be traded against other policy preferences. It is a fundamental right.
The free exercise of religion includes the right to act or abstain from action in accordance with one’s religious beliefs.
The Free Exercise Clause protects not just the right to believe or the right to worship; it protects the right to perform or abstain from performing certain physical acts in accordance with one’s beliefs. Federal statutes, including the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 (“RFRA”), support that protection, broadly defining the exercise of religion to encompass all aspects of observance and practice, whether or not central to, or required by, a particular religious faith.
see Religious Exemptions Clarified
The PACIFIC JUSTICE INSTITUTE has a strong legacy of defending religious rights on the West Coast, including cases related to COVID mandates and restrictions.
It is unfortunate that drastic action has been taken against people who, for whatever reason(s), have chosen not to be vaccinated. Each person has the right to make that decision and should be respected for it. As do those who chose to be vaccinated.
On the other hand, governments do have responsibilities, plus the corresponding authority, to ensure the welfare of the populations within their territory. It is inevitable that actions taken by governments will anger some sectors in the community. We all know that it is impossible to please everyone or grant each person her/his wish.
In the case described in the above article the Attorney General’s Department seems to have established certain standards that apply to all employees, irrespective of what their gender/race/beliefs may be – ie they must be vaccinated by a certain date. These, too, should be respected. The fact that this particular case involves a Ukrainian, and occurred at a time of dreadful conflict between Russia and Ukraine, certainly deserves sympathy – just as any and all dismissals related to ‘vaccine disobedience’ deserves our sympathy. It does not, however, justify any special treatment or consideration. Equality means equal rights as well as reciprocal responsibility/accountability.
I fully respect a person’s right to make choices. I equally respect an organization’s right to set standards that employees must adhere to. If, for whatever reason(s), I do not, cannot, or will not meet any of those standards, then I would firstly seek a mutually acceptable compromise with my employer; and if that is not achievable, then I would certainly seek employment elsewhere – no hard feelings.
I wish Natalia Corduneanu and all those facing a similar predicament all the very best. Even in the darkest moments of life there are positives to be grateful for – a focus on these helps us to develop the resilience we all need to face reality and move forward with hope.
A vaccine mandate at this point is just ridiculous. We now know the shot provides only temporary protection, and it does not stop or slow the spread of said virus either.
This is cruel, and unnecessary.