Although New York City ended its private sector COVID-19 vaccination mandate on November 1, 2022, private employers in New York City (and throughout the state) still have the authority to decide whether or not to require their workers to be vaccinated. Any such requirements, however, must comply with federal, state, and city employment discrimination laws.

This means that COVID-19 vaccination requirements must be applied without regard to employees’ “protected characteristics” such as sex, race, and age, and must allow for reasonable accommodations for employees with sincerely held religious objections to the COVID-19 “vaccines” and for employees with medical conditions (disabilities), including pregnancy, for whom the COVID-19 “vaccines” may be harmful.

The Warshawsky Law Firm represents employees who have been denied reasonable accommodations to the COVID-19 “vaccines,” including persons whose job applications were rejected because they were unvaccinated and had requested a reasonable accommodation (either on religious or medical grounds). Importantly, the employment discrimination laws apply equally to job applicants as well as current employees. A blanket refusal by an employer to grant a reasonable accommodation to an otherwise qualified job applicant violates the employment discrimination laws.

If you or a family member has been rejected from a job because you are unvaccinated, please contact us as soon as possible, as there are strict statutes of limitations that apply to these lawsuits.