Mandatory Vaccination- Accommodations and Exemptions Update

Brad Walchuk Uncategorized

We have another update from the Employer regarding the process for requesting exemptions/accommodations around the vaccination mandate.

McMaster has released their finalized version of the policy that mandates vaccinations for students and employees:
Vaccination Policy – COVID-19 Requirements for Employees and Students: https://hr.mcmaster.ca/resources/covid-19-vaccination-policy/

The Employer has also directed us to the following FAQ that has a section dedicated to the process of requesting accommodations/exemptions:

 In terms of the exemption process, there is a section online in the FAQs dedicated to how to seek an exemption – this includes a link to the appropriate forms and process (see Step 4B): https://covid19.mcmaster.ca/vaccination-mandate/#tab-content-im-not-fully-vaccinated.

Please note that the employer has a September 19th deadline for submitting an exemption request. We recommend you make the request prior to the 19th, but if for some reason you cannot, please let us know. We also strongly recommend that you have a look at the FAQ (specifically secton “4B”) about making an accommodation request.  If you have any trouble making the request, please feel free to let us know and we can follow-up. You will be notified of the employer’s decision regarding the approval of the exemption or accommodation.
If you have questions about being vaccinated against COVID-19, our national union has developed the following helpful FAQ: https://cupe.ca/sites/cupe/files/faq_vaccines_covid19_en_0.pdf
If you are not satisfied with that decision, please let us know and we can discuss options with you.
The legal landscape is rapidly evolving, but we would like to direct your attention to this page from CUPE: https://cupe.ca/covid-19-vaccination-workers-rights