The EEOC, on behalf of two Muslim truckers, sued a Morton, IL based trucking company for failure to accommodate the trucker's religious rights when they demanded that their employees convey alcohol. This simple, straight-forward religious accommodation lawsuit belies the often confused regulatory approach to employment discrimination when it comes to religious accommodation and the magic term "reasonable" in terms of the accommodations that employers and employees can expect for their personal religious beliefs.
The Peoria Journal Star reports that the EEOC brought the case because the employer, Star Transport, Inc., could have reasonably accommodated the drivers by assigning them routes which were not offensive to them and switching them with other drivers. It sounds straight-forward. The EEOC approached the company last year to resolve this complaint of discrimination and the company refused to settle. Clearly the EEOC wishes to make a statement or they would not have handled the case themselves.
What is clear is the EEOC's lawsuit is a straight-forward application of employment law. Employers, employees, and the Courts are often stymied by the precise definition of reasonable accommodations. Like ADA litigation, a plaintiff's success hinges on whether the Court views the accommodations that the employee requested as "reasonable" and whether the employer's refusal, therefore, brings upon liability.
In this case, without additional information, it appears that the employers failed to make simple accommodations to avoid creating a very serious religious issue.
What is clear is the EEOC's lawsuit is a straight-forward application of employment law. Employers, employees, and the Courts are often stymied by the precise definition of reasonable accommodations. Like ADA litigation, a plaintiff's success hinges on whether the Court views the accommodations that the employee requested as "reasonable" and whether the employer's refusal, therefore, brings upon liability.
In this case, without additional information, it appears that the employers failed to make simple accommodations to avoid creating a very serious religious issue.
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