ReligionLink

Businesses now have more workers of different faiths, and an increasing number want to practice their religion at work. Legislators are noticing. In New York, a state law that passed June 21 gives workers greater freedom to observe religious holidays and pray during the workday. At the federal level, a “Workplace Religious Freedom Act” has been introduced in Congress. It would protect workers against religious discrimination and require companies to accommodate religious practice and observance.

How are businesses in your area dealing with issues of religious diversity and practice? What conflicts have arisen, and how have they been resolved? How do your state laws protect against workplace discrimination or encourage accommodation?

Why it matters

Businesses’ and legislators’ concern about religion indicates that employees’ faith is recognized as something that can be a source of strength for a company. At the same time, it can be a source of conflict if workers’ religious views differ or if discrimination is alleged.

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Background

• Senators Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) and John Kerry (D-Mass.) are preparing to introduce the Workplace Religious Freedom Act in late May. In the 1999 Congress, a similar bill with the same title was proposed.

• The Orthodox Union’s Institute of Public Affairs supports the Workplace Religious Freedom Act and explains why it is necessary.

• The Council on American-Islamic Relations’ (CAIR) reports having received over 200 cases of workplace discrimination against Muslims since Sept. 11. Read an article on it.

• Transcript of a recent conference on Reconciling Obligations: Accommodating Religious Practice on the Job, sponsored by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, will be posted May 28.

• The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) general fact sheet on workplace religious discrimination.

• The EEOC’s question-and-answer sheet about employer responsibilities in hiring Muslims, Arabs, South Asians, and Sikhs.

• The EEOC’s question-and-answer sheet about worker rights for Muslims, Arabs, South Asians, and Sikhs.

• Washington Post article about the current spate of businesses that are developing ways to accommodate beliefs and values.

• A 2001 study by the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding on growing religious diversity in the workplace.

• President Clinton’s “Guidelines on Religious Exercise and Religious Expression in the Federal Workplace,” released in 1997.

• ReligiousTolerance.org’s timeline of workplace religious discrimination legislative and court activity since 1977.

Hot sources

• Roberto Corrada (www.law.du.edu/corrada), a professor at the University of Denver College of Law, is an expert in the legal history of religion in the workplace issue. Contact 303-871-6273, rcorrada@law.du.edu.

• Laura Nash, a senior research fellow at Harvard Business School, is an expert on the current spirituality-and-business environment. Contact 617-495-6055, lnash@hbs.edu.

• David Frank, of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, works on workplace religious discrimination regulations. Contact 202-663-4900.

• Joshua Salaam is the manager of the civil rights department for the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Contact 202-488-8787, jsalaam@cair-net.org.

• Tejpal Singh Chawla is the civil rights counsel for Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Taskforce and a resource on discrimination against Sikhs in the workplace. Contact 202-744-0618, tejpal@sikhmediawatch.org.

• Richard Barrett speaks to groups about how bringing spirituality into the workplace can improve business achievement. See www.richardbarrett.net/, contact 828-452-5050.

In your region

State by state

• A graph from CAIR detailing the number of anti-Muslim incidents since September 11, including cases of workplace discrimination, by state.

• A U.S. Chamber of Commerce article mentions several state court cases and laws that affect religion in the workplace.

• Jackson Lewis, a prominent national law firm that specializes in workplace law, has offices in several states. Their website also offers resources on religious discrimination law.

In The Northeast

• The New York State Attorney General, together with state legislator Sheldon Silver, supports legislation that guarantees employees time to practice their religion on the job without being penalized. Contact 212-416-8060, or see the website.

• In April, New York settled a lawsuit with Virgin Atlantic Airlines, which will now allow employees at John F. Kennedy International Airport to take time off from work for religious observances. See New York Times article.

• In Hartford, Conn., a minyan, or gathering of ten Jews for prayer, takes place during lunch hour at Pepe & Hazard, a downtown law firm, drawing lawyers from the firm and professionals from nearby businesses. Contact Reed Rubinstein, 860-241-2654, rrubinstein@pepehazard.com.

• Judi Neal heads the Center for Spirit at Work at the University of New Haven. Contact 203-467-9084, JNeal@snet.net.

In the Midwest

• Bill Pollard, the recently retired chairman of the Fortune 500 company ServiceMaster, erected a statue of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet outside of ServiceMaster’s Downers Grove, IL headquarters. Contact Jane McGuffey, 630-271-2203.

• An American Center for Law and Justice release about a 1999 court case in Minneapolis in which three Department of Corrections employees were ordered not to be penalized for reading their Bibles during a “Gays and Lesbians in the Workplace” education session.

• Timothy L. Fort is an associate professor of business law and business ethics at the University of Michigan Business School. He has published articles on religion, ethics, and the workplace. Contact 734-764-1349.