Nov 15th, 2021
Sent to Joel Poppen
To the Officers and Directors of Micron Technology, Inc.
We, the undersigned Micron employees, have filed for and been granted Micron’s religious exemption from Micron’s mandated termination of employment for those who have not received an approved COVID-19 “Vaccine” on or before November 15, 2021. Regrettably, we do not feel that Micron has treated us fairly and in good faith under the exemption, which the Company now refers to as an “accommodation.” Under the exemption, we believe Micron has behaved toward us in a discriminatory and coercive fashion because of our religious beliefs. As Micron employees with sincerely held religious beliefs, we exempted employees have endured a hostile work environment and extremely uncomfortable work conditions.
Accordingly, we do not believe that the mandatory unpaid leave with an indeterminate date of return or release imposed on us by Micron is a reasonable, justifiable condition to our exemption from termination of employment. Such conditions clearly constitute involuntary, constructive termination of employment, for which compensation is an indisputably fundamental component. Moreover, such conditions make a mockery of the “accommodation” made by Micron for our religious convictions. Micron should embrace the inevitable movement of COVID-19 from “pandemic” to “endemic” and treat us the same as those employees who have been, and can readily be, vaccinated.
As exempted employees with sincere religious beliefs, we respectfully demand that Micron immediately cease imposing on us discriminatory daily testing, unpaid personal leave, double masking, segregated eating areas and compulsory medical actions to the extent that those conditions are not imposed on the employees at large. These discriminatory requirements clearly arise from, and infringe upon, our religious rights under the Constitution of the United States of America. Furthermore, we demand that Micron reimburse all employees for any lost wages incurred during these proceedings.
We believe in Micron’s culture of diversity, equality, and inclusion, and in concert with this culture and related values, we anticipate and look forward to these reasonable requests being fulfilled. If in the unfortunate event they are not, we, the undersigned employees of Micron, are prepared to take legal action. From this point forward we expect all pertinent electronic records documentation regarding this matter to be preserved.
Sincerest Regards, Micron Employees for Religious Freedom
November 19, 2021
Re: Accommodations Regarding Micron’s COVID-19 Vaccination Mandate To “Micron Employees for Religious Freedom”
We respond, on behalf of Micron, to the letter sent by email to Joel Poppen on November 15, 2021, which also attached the names and apparent signatures of 23 individuals (collectively the “identified individuals”).
We note initially that the letter purports to be sent on behalf of unvaccinated Micron team members who have each been granted an accommodation regarding Micron’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate. However, our records do not indicate that all of the identified individuals applied for or received any accommodation. Further, some of the Identified Individuals retracted their accommodation requests, and based on our records, some do not even appear to be Micron team members. In addition, some of the Identified Individuals who were initial notified they would be on a temporary leave of absence have since been requested to return to work on-site with various appropriate precautions being taken to protect the health and safety of all team members based on the unique facts and circumstances applicable to the particular team member at issue.
Please note that Micron strongly disagrees with any assertion or implication that the company has not complied with applicable law in reviewing, evaluating and granting accommodations to those who engaged in and completed the interactive process.
Micron will continue to prioritize the protection of the health and safety of all team members which includes offering temporary accommodations such as:
Daily on-site testing for COVID-19 prior to beginning work
Wearing two masks or one N95 mask at all times on-site unless eating or drinking
All breaks and all eating while remaining on a Micron facility must occur only in the company cafeteria
In some instances, a temporary leave of absence until it is safe to return to work on-site
These accommodations have been provided based on the unique facts and circumstances applicable to each individual, do not constitute illegal discriminitation, and are needed in order to maintain a healthy and safe work environment for all team members.
We cannot discuss, in a group setting, individual team member situations and concerns. However, if any of the identified Individuals have any concerns about a hostile work environment or any work conditions, we urge each of you to raise such concerns to your direct management or People Business Partner or to contact Employee Relations at employeerelations@micron.com. Further, any team member who has issues or questions about individual accommodations that have been provided, should raise them with Employee Relations through the ongoing interactive process.
The COVID-19 pandemic has not been easy for any of us, and we thank you all for your continued efforts, assistance, and cooperation in working with us to protect the health and safety of all team members. We further appreciate your stated commitment to Micron’s culture of diversity, equality and inclusion. Micron is pleased to have been able to provide various accommodations regarding the Company’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate to allow team members to continue their employment while still providing a healthy and safe workplace for all.
Again, if you have any questions regardings any of the information above, please contact employeerelations@micron.com
Many thanks, Micron Employee Relations