Protest Over Nurse Firing for Refusing Influenza Shot

ruby_jane, BSN, RN · Dec 7, 2018

So interesting. As most of us are working in right to work states with very limited protection for our jobs...you refuse something that your employer wants to mandate and you're surprised when you get fired?

Also those comments on the Medscape article are worth settling in with some popcorn.

BedsideNurse · Dec 13, 2018

I think it's absolute bs they force nurses to take the flu shot. I'd quit over it for sure if I was pregnant. There is *NO

WAY*they can know how the flu vaccine (or any vaccine) may affect that developing baby. No way! It is outrageously unethical to threaten someone into choosing between paying their bills and risking the health of their baby.

They roll the dice with that baby because the drug company lobbyists are in bed with our Congress, and have attached federal funding to it for guaranteed profits.

I'm an ethical vegan and try to avoid medicines, yet I am forced to have animal products injected on a yearly basis. In recent years I have actually had two scary reactions from the flu shot, but I am still forced to take it. If I could do anything else outside of nursing for the same money I would. It's just infuriating.

allnurses Guide · Dec 13, 2018

So interesting. As most of us are working in right to work states with very limited protection for our jobs...you refuse something that your employer wants to mandate and you're surprised when you get fired?
Also those comments on the Medscape article are worth settling in with some popcorn.

Ruby,

A lot of people make the mistake between a "right to work" state which means you don't have to join a union in order to be employed by a union shop. Nor do you lose and union protection for not joining and an "At will" state like California where a privately owned company can let you go at anytime for any reason or for no reason at all. Employee's can also leave these employers under the same circumstances.

From a legal standpoint one might argue that in a right to work state an employee who refuses vaccination may still have a right to work under the law. Still most employers in California simply mandate unvaccinated nurses wear a mask for the duration of the flu season.

Hppy

Woodenpug, BSN · Dec 13, 2018

almost 3/4ths of healthcare workers believe that flu vaccinations are beneficial. Another 20% feel that getting a flu vacc is better than having to wear a mask. Leaving only a few people who are so strongly against the value of flu vaccination that they are willing to change fields. Not all that sure, even with shortages, that we need those workers anyway.

KelRN215, BSN, RN · Dec 13, 2018

Ruby,
A lot of people make the mistake between a "right to work" state which means you don't have to join a union in order to be employed by a union shop. Nor do you lose and union protection for not joining and an "At will" state like California where a privately owned company can let you go at anytime for any reason or for no reason at all. Employee's can also leave these employers under the same circumstances.
From a legal standpoint one might argue that in a right to work state an employee who refuses vaccination may still have a right to work under the law. Still most employers in California simply mandate unvaccinated nurses wear a mask for the duration of the flu season.
Hppy

"Right to work" and "employment at will" are not opposites. "Right to work" states are states in which employees cannot be compelled to join a union as a condition of employment. The opposite is "closed shop" union states in which joining a union can be compulsory in order to be employed somewhere where employees are represented by the union.

Regardless of right to work vs closed shop, employment in the United States is, by default, "at will." Working in a right to work state doesn't mean you're not an employee at will. If you refuse the flu vaccine in a right to work state and it's a condition of your employment, you can expect to receive the same consequences that someone in any other state would.

Re: the person who brought up pregnancy- the flu vaccine is RECOMMENDED for pregnant women so that would not be a valid reason to not get an employer mandated flu shot.

Wuzzie · Dec 13, 2018

Re: the person who brought up pregnancy- the flu vaccine is RECOMMENDED for pregnant women so that would not be a valid reason to not get an employer mandated flu shot.

I took care of a neonate that was born to a mom sick with the flu. The baby was also infected. He died a horrible death. This was 30 years ago and I remember every detail of what he went through. It was awful and there was nothing we could do.

allnurses Guide · Dec 15, 2018

"Right to work" and "employment at will" are not opposites. "Right to work" states are states in which employees cannot be compelled to join a union as a condition of employment. The opposite is "closed shop" union states in which joining a union can be compulsory in order to be employed somewhere where employees are represented by the union.
Regardless of right to work vs closed shop, employment in the United States is, by default, "at will." Working in a right to work state doesn't mean you're not an employee at will. If you refuse the flu vaccine in a right to work state and it's a condition of your employment, you can expect to receive the same consequences that someone in any other state would.
Re: the person who brought up pregnancy- the flu vaccine is RECOMMENDED for pregnant women so that would not be a valid reason to not get an employer mandated flu shot.

I only meant to point out that "Right to work" and "At will" are two different things as many people here quote "Right to work" when discussing "At will" termination policies."

Hppy