Title VII of the Civil Rights Act mandates that employers must attempt to make reasonable accommodations for an employee’s religious beliefs. As detailed in this article, Victaurious L. Bailey began working for Food Lion in 2011. At the time of his hire with grocery store chain, due to his commitments as a Jehovah’s Witness minister and elder, Bailey requested that he be allowed to take Sundays and Thursday evenings off. The store manager agreed to Bailey’s request.
As alleged in a recent suit filed on Bailey’s behalf, Bailey was eventually transferred to another location and told by his new store manager that he as a manager did not understand how Bailey could work for Food Lion and not work on Sundays. Bailey was subsequently fired due to his unavailability to work on Sundays.
Regional Attorney for the EEOC, Lynette A. Barnes, “Employers need to ensure that their supervisors and managers who are called upon to make decisions on employees’ requests for religious accommodations are fully knowledgeable of their obligations under federal law. Many decision makers seem to forget that unless providing a reasonable accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the company, the accommodation must be provided.”
If you or someone you know thinks they have experienced employment discrimination, the team at Radford & Keebaugh can help. Contact us by phone at (678) 369-3609 or use our contact form.