Honeywell International can continue, for now, to impose penalties on employees who refuse to undergo biometric testing as part of its wellness program, a U.S. District Court judge in Minneapolis decided last week.
The judge denied the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's request for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against Honeywell that would have required it to temporarily stop imposing penalties on employees who refuse the testing. The EEOC alleged that the testing violated the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act by financially penalizing any employees who balked at the testing.
The biometric testing checks employees' cholesterol levels, blood pressure, glucose, height, weight and waist circumference, as well as testing for nicotine or cotinine, according to the EEOC's petition. Employees who refuse the screenings can face up to $4,000 in surcharges and lose company health savings account contributions, according to the petition.
Honeywell, however, said in an earlier statement that no employee has ever been denied coverage or disciplined for deciding not to participate in the wellness program. Employees who take part in the biometric testing have their monthly premiums reduced by $125, according to the statement. The company also said that biometric information is never seen by Honeywell or Honeywell personnel.
The company is based in New Jersey but was formerly headquartered in Minneapolis and still has a large workforce there. The suit relates to a program in Minneapolis.
