Judge limits unpaid leave for unvaccinated workers at US lab

By JONATHAN MATTISE
Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A federal judge has limited the ability for now for the nonprofit running Oak Ridge National Laboratory to place employees on unpaid leave who receive exemptions to a COVID-19 vaccine requirement. U.S. District Judge Charles Atchley in Knoxville issued the temporary restraining order Friday barring UT-Battelle from placing employees on indefinite unpaid leave or firing them after they receive a religious or medical accommodation to the vaccine. The six workers who sued have argued they were told the unpaid leave would be indefinite. Their employer replied that the leave will last 60 days with health benefits intact, and the leave will be reevaluated at that point.