This is just getting beyond ridiculous now. Ochsner Health [Website Here] is a healthcare provider/system that delivers healthcare services to the people of Louisiana, Mississippi and the Gulf South. Ochsner Health is now requiring the spouses or domestic partners of all employees be vaccinated, or the employee will pay a $100 per pay period penalty. (Source Link)
Hopefully some employee of Ochsner Health will file a lawsuit fast. The basis for the lawsuit could likely be framed around punitive employee punishment based on “marital status”, a clear violation of existing civil rights law. Why stop at spouses? Why not kids or other dependents? What about all other vaccines before COVID? Why now?
By current federal and most state statutes, no employer is legally permitted to discriminate against any employee based on marital status. A penalty against a spouse for non compliance with an employer vaccine mandate is a punitive action only against married persons. Find a court that will look at this as a violation of the discrimination clause, because it only targets married employees. Let’s see what happens.