SEATTLE – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed a federal lawsuit against retail giant Walmart for disciplining and threatening to fire an assistant manager at its Colville, Wash., store when he refused to violate his religious beliefs.
Richard Nichols, a devout Mormon, began working for Walmart in 1995 and started as a manager at the Colville store in 2002. As part of his religious practice, Nichols observes the Sabbath by refraining from work of any kind (including household chores or shopping) and limits his activities to church-related activities. From 1995 to 2009, Walmart accommodated his request for leave on Sundays. However, in the fall of 2009, Walmart revised its scheduling system and refused to continue accommodating Nichols.
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to the sincere religious beliefs of employees, as long as the accommodations do not pose an undue hardship. The EEOC filed suit after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement. The suit seeks back pay and other monetary losses, compensatory and punitive damages for Nichols and appropriate injunctive relief to prevent any future discrimination.
0 comments:
Post a Comment