News Release
For Immediate Release: 4.2.26
Contact: John Manning, media@firstliberty.org
Direct: 972-941-4453
Amazon Employee Denied Religious Accommodation to Fulfill Sabbath Obligations Including Easter Sunday
Amazon refused to adjust his work schedule despite having an open position that would have presented no undue hardship to the company’s operations.
Canton, MS—First Liberty Institute sent a demand letter to Amazon Inc. after the company denied employee Connor Dorsey a reasonable accommodation request that would allow him, a devout Catholic, to attend Mass and other Holy days on Sundays consistent with his religious beliefs.
You can read the letter here.
“The US Supreme Court made it clear that religious accommodations must be granted unless it poses an undue hardship on the business, not just a minor inconvenience,” said Cliff Martin, Senior Counsel for First Liberty. “Amazon could have easily worked with Connor and provided the accommodation he requested, but instead they choose to ignore federal law simply because they considered it a mere nuisance to their operations. With Easter approaching, we are hopeful that Amazon will follow the law and grant an accommodation quickly.”
Connor Dorsey is an L5 Area Manager in the outbound shipping department of Amazon in Canton, Mississippi. He is a devout Catholic who is committed to a Sabbath observance by attending Mass and refraining from servile labor on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation. His current work schedule covers “Back Half Nights,” that typically runs through the weekend on a four-day, 10-hours per day shift, preventing him from fulfilling his religious obligations. He was denied the option to switch to an open position that would allow him to attend weekly Mass. He was told, “If we set that precedent [granting accommodations], then we’ll have to grant those requests any time we receive them.”
In the letter, attorneys state, “Mr. Dorsey’s sincerely held religious beliefs and Sabbath observance are plainly religious under Title VII. Thus, he was within his rights to request a reasonable accommodation. Additionally, the Fifth Circuit has long held that failure to fully accommodate an employee’s religious observance, absent a showing of undue hardship, violates Title VII.”
###
About First Liberty Institute
First Liberty Institute is a non-profit public interest law firm and the largest legal organization in the nation dedicated exclusively to defending religious freedom for all Americans.
To arrange an interview, contact John Manning at media@firstliberty.org or by calling 972-941-4453.
 |
|
|
