Employers who Commit Religious Discrimination

Religion is one sensitive personal preference that employers need to respect. According to the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a company owner is prohibited from committing discrimination within the different employment processes such as hiring, firing and other terms of service towards people due to their chosen religion.

One particular case reported in a press release by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) stated that a corporation, Family Foods Inc, which manages a chain of Taco Bell restaurants is about to provide $27, 000 to an employee just to settle a religious discrimination lawsuit. This was after the company ordered an employee named Christopher Abbey to cut his hair or face termination. Abbey considers his religion as a Nazirite and according to its creed, he was bound not to cut his locks.

The employment decisions of the Family Foods Inc. clearly showed that it is forcing the said employee to follow its order through threats of termination. Therefore, it breaches the laws under the constitution that seek to protect workers. There are similar cases like these within populous places such as the state of California, specifically its main city, Los Angeles.

Consequently, the EEOC since its creation in July 2, 1965 had tackled a lot of disputes that arose from the differences which companies fail to reconcile with their workers. In relation to this, an employee who wishes to file a complaint through the EEOC must first do the following to ensure that he or she is making a valid complaint:

·         Inform and file a formal complaint at the HR Department for the grievance – This is the initial step if ever the worker wishes to pursue the case at the EEOC. An agent of the EEOC will ask the complainant to verify if he or she had indeed filed a formal petition with the commission.

·         Go to the nearest EEOC office – If the complaint remains unaddressed and the company retaliates against the worker, then it is really time to seek the assistance of higher employment authorities. The employee should go the EEOC together with a Los Angeles wrongful termination lawyer to be guided with the processes that should be followed under EEOC standards.