JOC Staff | Dec 04, 2012 10:36AM EST
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission charged package giant UPS with religious discrimination in a lawsuit filed on behalf a Jehovah’s Witness fired by the company.
According to the EEOC, UPS refused to allow the newly hired truck loader to modify his schedule so he could attend an annual Jehovah’s Witness religious service, the Memorial of Christ’s Death. When the employee attended the service instead of reporting to work, he was fired, the EEOC said.
That violated the new employee’s civil rights, the EEOC said. The federal agency filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey after failing to reach an out-of-court settlement.
“Federal law requires employers to make reasonable accommodations for their employees’ religious beliefs and practices,” said Elizabeth Grossman, regional attorney of the EEOC New York District Office. “Where a request for a religious accommodation does not result in an undue hardship to the employer, the employee's request must be respected.”
The lawsuit, filed Nov. 29, is one of several recent EEOC actions involving transport operators.
On Dec. 3, Air Express International and Danzas Corp., doing business as DHL Global Forwarding, agreed to pay $201,000 to nine employees to settle an EEOC hostile environment lawsuit.
On Nov. 30, Sutter Transfer, a Yuba, Calif.-based trucking company, agreed to pay $30,000 to an African-American employee and a white co-worker to settle an EEOC racial harassment lawsuit.