Religious harassment violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the U. S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (”EEOC”) is a federal agency which enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination, including religious harassment in the workplace.  In this regard, EEOC lawyers announced in a Press Release at http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/newsroom/release/11-2-09a.cfm that the EEOC has filed a federal religious discrimination lawsuit against a staffing company which provides cable service in the Baltimore metropolitan area.  According to the November 2, 2009 Press Release, EEOC lawyers contend in the lawsuit that a Florida company and a Texas company subjected two employees to physical and verbal harassment because of their religion, Judaism.  As further stated in the Press Release, EEOC lawyers assert that beginning in September 2005 and continuing throughout their employment, both employees were called “Dirty Jew,” “Dumb Jew,” and other anti-Semitic slurs against Jews by managers and coworkers.  Moreover, the religious harassment continued for a couple of years, the EEOC said, and included the defacing of one employee’s work vehicle with a swastika symbol and physical harassment in which the employee was allegedly forced into a trash bin for the amusement of managers who observed them on a work surveillance camera and called it “throw the Jew in the dumpster.”  An EEOC lawyer was quoted in the Press Release as saying “Employers must take steps to prevent religious harassment of their employees [and] we brought this lawsuit to remind employers of their legal responsibility to prevent and promptly correct this type of conduct.” 

Religious discrimination charge filings with the EEOC nationwide totaled 3,273 in Fiscal Year 2008, up 11.4 percent from the prior year and the highest level in the past decade.  Further information about the EEOC and the laws it enforces can be found at www.eeoc.gov .   

Whether a hostile work environment based on religious harassment occurs in Texas or elsewhere, victims of workplace religious harassment may contact the EEOC and a lawyer to determine if a religious discrimination lawsuit is ultimately appropriate under the particular facts and circumstances of the potential employment discrimination claim.

Attorneys with the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (”EEOC”) announced in a Press Release at http://www.eeoc.gov/press/10-16-09b.html that an equipment rental company will pay $64,641 to settle a religious discrimination lawsuit in which EEOC attorneys alleged that a Muslim worker was discriminated against because of his Islamic faith.  According to the October 16, 2009 EEOC Press Release, agency attorneys charged in the case that the worker was subjected to derogatory comments and slurs based on his religion, Islam.  As stated in the Press Release, the comments included suggestions that the worker might be a terrorist because he is Muslim.  In the lawsuit, the EEOC claimed that the worker was subjected to an anti-Muslim cartoon.  The employment discrimination lawsuit settled just a few days before it was scheduled to go to trial.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination against employees on the basis of religion, and the U. S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (”EEOC”) is a federal agency which enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination.  In an October 6, 2009 EEOC Press Release found at http://www.eeoc.gov/press/10-6-09.html , the agency announced that its attorneys filed a lawsuit against a Yuma, Arizona hotel, alleging that the hotel unlawfully permitted a manager to impose his personal religious beliefs on other employees and failed to accommodate those employees who did not desire to participate.  According to the Press Release, EEOC attorneys charge that the company threatened employees with reprisals or otherwise forced them to engage in a particular religious prayer ceremony in spite of their personal different religious views.  As stated in the Press Release, the unlawful discrimination created a hostile work environment and denied employees reasonable accommodation for their religious beliefs.  An EEOC attorney quoted in the Press Release stated, in part, that employees should not be subjected unwillingly to a supervisor’s religious views and should not be subjected to forced prayer sessions.  Another EEOC representative commented that “Employee freedom of and from religion must be protected.”  EEOC attorneys filed the religious discrimination lawsuit in Arizona after first attempting to reach a voluntary pre-litigation settlement.  Further information about the EEOC is available in the agency’s website at www.eeoc.gov .

The U. S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (”EEOC”) announced in a September 25, 2009 Press Release at http://www.eeoc.gov/press/9-25-09e.html that agency attorneys filed an employment discrimination lawsuit against a Fort Worth CD and DVD manufacturer alleging that the company failed to accommodate an employee’s schedule so that she could observe her Sabbath and then fired her.  According to the EEOC Press Release, the discrimination lawsuit contends that the company initially allowed the employee, who is a member of the Soldiers of the Cross of Christ Church,  to work Sunday through Thursday - which accommodated her Sabbath observance from sundown Friday through sundown Saturday.  However, the company changed the work requirements and would no longer allow her to work that schedule, as stated in the Press Release.  EEOC attorneys charge in the case that when she asked for an alternate schedule, she was allegedly told by Human Resources that if the company accommodated her, they would have to accommodate “every Christian,” and she was then fired. 

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits religious discrimination and requires employers to make reasonable accommodations to employees’ and applicants’ sincerely held religious beliefs as long as this does not pose an undue hardship.  An EEOC trial attorney quoted in the Press Release said, in part, that “This devout woman, who is also a missionary, should not have been put in the harsh position of having to forsake her religious beliefs for a schedule change.”  EEOC attorneys filed the religious discrimination lawsuit in North Texas after first attempting to reach a voluntary out of court settlement.

Whether religious discrimination related to employment occurs in Dallas, Fort Worth or elsewhere in Texas, victims of religious discrimination may contact the EEOC and an attorney to determine if a religion discrimination lawsuit is ultimately appropriate under the particular circumstances and facts of the potential employment discrimination claim.

The U. S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (”EEOC”) is a federal agency which enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination, including discrimination based on an individual’s religion.  In Fiscal Year 2008, religious discrimination charge filings with the EEOC and state/local agencies nationwide rose 14 percent to 3,273.

In an EEOC Press Release at http://www.eeoc.gov/press/9-23-09f.html , agency attorneys announced filing of a religious discrimination lawsuit against a Denton, Texas based company which operates a franchise in Bridgeport, Texas, charging that the company violated federal law by firing a product technician when he declined to participate in the company’s “Red Shirt Friday” dress code.  According to the EEOC Press Release, the dress code was a store practice intended to show support for the U. S. military; however, the employee was a Jehova’s Witness prohibited by his religion from expressing opinions about government matters, including military affairs.  As stated in the Press Release, the Jehova’s Witness employee sought to be excused from wearing the red shirt on Fridays, but was reprimanded and ultimately fired.  Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits religious discrimination and requires employers to make reasonable accommodations to employees’ and applicants’ sincerely held religious beliefs as long as this does not pose an undue hardship.  EEOC attorneys filed the religious discrimination lawsuit in Tyler, Texas after first attempting to reach a voluntary settlement.  An EEOC trial attorney quoted in the Press Release stated that “It is not an employer’s place to formulate its own interpretation of an employee’s religious belief and base its accommodation decision on misguided and uninformed conclusions about that employee’s religion.” 

Whether workplace religion discrimination occurs in Denton, Bridgeport, Tyler or elsewhere in Texas, vicitims of religious discrimination may contact the EEOC and an attorney to determine if a religious discrimination lawsuit is ultimately appropriate under the particular circumstances and facts of the potential employment discrimination claim.  Further information about the EEOC is available in the agency’s website at www.eeoc.gov .

The U. S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (”EEOC”) sued a national retail clothing company for allegedly discriminating against a 17-year-old Muslim by refusing to hire her because she wore a hijab, or head scarf, in observance of her sincerely held religious beliefs.  In a September 17, 2009 Press Release, the EEOC stated that the Muslim job applicant was interviewed at the company’s Tulsa, Oklahoma location and the company refused to hire her because she was wearing a head covering when she was interviewed and this violated the company’s “Look Policy,” which prohibited the wearing of head coverings.  According to the Press Release, she applied for a sales position.  See, http://www.eeoc.gov/press/9-17-09b.html .  Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, protects workers from discrimination based upon religion in hiring and in the terms and conditions of their employment.  In this regard, the EEOC is a federal agency which enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination, including religious discrimination.  Further information about the EEOC is available at www.eeoc.gov .

In a September 14, 2009 Press Release at http://www.eeoc.gov/press/9-14-09d.html , the U. S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (”EEOC”) announced that a hotel chain will pay $27,500.00 to settle a religious discrimination lawsuit brought by EEOC attorneys in a Tennessee federal court.  According to the Press Release, EEOC attorneys charged in the religious discrimination lawsuit that the company violated federal law by denying a religious accommodation to an employee at its Memphis hotel and fired her because of her religious beliefs.  As stated in the EEOC Press Release, the employee was a member of  Israel of God and her Sabbath is from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday evening.  Her religious beliefs prohibit her from working on her Sabbath, but the facility allegedly refused to allow her to take the time off, and then terminated her.  Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits religious discrimination and requires employers to make reasonable accommodations to employees’ or applicants’ sincerely held religious beliefs as long as this does not pose an undue hardship.  In this regard, the EEOC is a federal agency which enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination, including religious discrimination and retaliation for complaining about it.  An EEOC attorney quoted in the Press Release said “Employers must not force employees to choose between their religion and their job.”  The attorney added that “The EEOC remains committed to combating religious discrimination in the workplace.”  Further information about the EEOC is available at www.eeoc.gov .

The U. S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (”EEOC”) announced in a September 11, 2009 Press Release at http://www.eeoc.gov/press/9-11-09c.html that the agency filed a federal lawsuit against an ambulance service company for allegedly firing an en emergency medical technician, who is a Jehova’s Witness, for refusing to participate in a Halloween carnival.  As stated in the EEOC Press Release, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits religious discrimination and requires employers to make reasonable accommodations to employees’ or applicants’ sincerely held religious beliefs as long as this does not pose an undue hardship.  EEOC attorneys charged in the religious discrimination lawsuit that the employee had informed the company that she did not celebrate holidays or participate in holiday celebrations because she is a Jehova’s Witness and when she declined to take part, the company fired her.  In this regard, the EEOC is a federal agency which enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination, including discrimination based on sincerely held religious beliefs.  Further information about the EEOC is available in the agency’s website at www.eeoc.gov .

In an August 26, 2009 Press Release, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (”EEOC”) announced that it filed a federal lawsuit against an automotive components company, alleging the company violated federal law by failing to accommodate an employee’s religious beliefs and by firing him because of his religion.  See, http://www.eeoc.gov/press/8-26-09b.html .  According to the EEOC Press Release, the company allegedly refused to accommodate the employee’s religious beliefs and practices when the employee refused to submit to a random drug test involving saliva testing since he was a practicing member of the Santeria religion and the Santeria religion forbade him from submitting to such a test.   The EEOC contends as well that the employee did offer to undergo an alternative form of drug testing, but the company fired him.  Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits religious discrimination and requires employers to make reasonable accommodations to employees’ and applicants’ sincerely held religious beliefs as long as this does not pose an undue hardship.  An EEOC attorney quoted in the Press Release said “In this case, the employer refused to provide a simple accommodation that would have enabled [the employee] to practice his religious belief and would have prevented this discrimination suit.”  In this regard, the EEOC is a federal agency which enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination, including work-related religion discrimination.  Further information about the EEOC is available in the agency’s website at www.eeoc.gov .

The U. S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (”EEOC”) announced in an August 7, 2009 Press Release that a New York partnership has agreed to settle a religious and national origin discrimination lawsuit filed by EEOC attorneys on behalf of four public safety officers who alleged employment discrimination based upon their Rastafarian religion and Caribbean national origins, including Jamaican, Haitian and Trinidadian.  See, http://www.eeoc.gov/press/8-7-09.html .  According to the EEOC Press Release, the company failed to grant the employees’ requests for religious accommodation to the company’s grooming policy, which provided that employees must not wear their hair outside their uniform hats.  As stated in the Press Release, the officers maintain long dreadlocks and short beards in line with their Rastafarian religious faith and three of the officers allegedly faced suspensions for violating the grooming policy.  An EEOC attorney quoted in the Press Release said that “Employers are obligated to explore how they may accommodate employees’ or applicants’ religious beliefs.”  Further information about the EEOC is available in the agency’s website at www.eeoc.gov .