A landmark settlement, stemming from a 2006 civil action case, was reached in St. Cloud Minnesota yesterday. The federally mandated agreement, following an investigation from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), requires the employer named in the class action suit to begin making appropriate accommodations for a particular religious practice and work restrictions for its employees.
The class action suit and subsequent settlement also extends to the hiring process and the exclusion of applicants based on lack of knowledge regarding their work restrictions.
It is one of the first of its kind in the nation and may set precedence for businesses across the U.S. in defining religion discrimination and clarifying the employers’ obligation to “reasonably accommodate an employee’s religious practice where the accommodation does not impose undue hardship”.
In July, the EEOC re-issued clarification to the Religious Discrimination section of the Equal Employment Opportunity poster (see blog entry dated August 12, 2008 EEOC Clarifies Religious Discrimination Expectations for U.S. Employers).
GovDocs reminds employers that the EEO poster is required for all U.S. businesses . The EEOC always recommends having the latest version of the poster, dated July, 2008. You can obtain the latest version by visiting our website www.govdocs.com.
