Complaints of religious discrimination in the United States have increased in the past few years.
The U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment Commission received 2,541 complaints last year, the Asbury Park Press reported. That was a 9%increase over 2005, and up 30% since 2001.
Discrimination laws require that employers make “reasonable accommodation” for religious practices. But there is no hard-and-fast definition of that.
Court rulings have been mixed, with judges finding that workers must be allowed to wear religious headgear, like the yarmulkes worn by some Jewish men or the headscarves worn by some Muslim women, even if they wear uniforms. But courts have also held that seniority trumps religion when it comes to time off.
Mikhael Rozenberg, an Orthodox Jew, left his job at Vonage Holdings Corp. in Holmdel, N.J., when he was told he would have to work Saturdays. He then filed a complaint with the EEOC.
(Source: United Press International)