A Gates man is suing Amtrak, claiming his refusal to take the COVID-19 vaccine on religious grounds cost him his job, a reasonable pension and ultimately, his home.
In his federal lawsuit, Kevin Whitford claims it wasn’t Amtrak’s vaccine requirements that caused the trouble. It was Canada’s.
Whitford, 63, was a locomotive engineer for 25 years, most of those with Amtrak. Then the pandemic hit.
In his lawsuit, he stated that he is a long-practicing Roman Catholic and adheres to the principles of the Catholic Church, specifically its stance against abortion. He objects to the vaccine because it was developed and tested using fetal cell lines.
Those cell lines started with cells originating with abortions in the 1970s and ’80s. They have been multiplied many times in a lab and are no longer the original tissue. The cell lines also were used during research and development of over-the-counter drugs ranging from Tylenol and Pepto Bismol to Benadryl and Preparation H.
Pope Francis and the Vatican supported taking the vaccines.
Whitford sought and was granted a religious exemption to the company’s vaccine requirement, allowing him to wear a mask and test weekly.
The problem came when the Canadian border reopened in June 2022.
Canada had its own vaccine mandate, and Whitford asked to be kept on U.S. routes, according to the lawsuit. But he claimed that multiple pleas were ignored or rejected by the company and even his own union.
The alleged only option was to relocate to Albany. He declined, the lawsuit states, was placed on unpaid furlough and forced into early retirement. His income dropped to less than a third what it had been. He sold his house on 30 acres in Genesee County, downsized and cashed in his 401(k).
Whitford says in court filings that he tried to get his job back when Canada relaxed its vaccine requirements but was rebuffed. His lawsuit seeks punitive and compensatory damages, for lost pay and benefits, as well as emotional distress.
Amtrak did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
