The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has filed a lawsuit against Star Transport, Inc., an Illinois-based trucking company, accusing them of religious discrimination. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois, alleges that Star Transport violated federal law by failing to accommodate the religious beliefs of two Muslim employees and subsequently terminating their employment.
According to the EEOC, the two employees, who adhere to Islam, were dismissed after they refused to deliver alcohol due to their religious convictions. Islam prohibits the consumption and handling of alcohol. The EEOC contends that Star Transport could have easily accommodated these employees by reassigning them to non-alcohol delivery routes without experiencing undue hardship. However, the company allegedly insisted on enforcing the alcohol delivery requirement, leading to the termination of the drivers.
John P. Rowe, EEOC District Director, stated, “Our investigation revealed that Star Transport could have readily avoided assigning these employees to alcohol delivery without any undue hardship, but chose to force the issue despite the employees’ Islamic religion.” This refusal to accommodate religious beliefs, when it can be reasonably done, is a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on religion.
The EEOC’s lawsuit, EEOC v. Star Transport, Inc., seeks back pay, compensatory, and punitive damages for the affected truck drivers. Furthermore, the agency is requesting a court order to prevent Star Transport from engaging in future discriminatory practices and to implement other necessary relief measures.
John Hendrickson, EEOC Regional Attorney for the Chicago District Office, emphasized the importance of religious freedom in the workplace, stating, “Everyone has a right to observe his or her religious beliefs, and employers don’t get to pick and choose which religions and which religious practices they will accommodate.” He further added, “If an employer can reasonably accommodate an employee’s religious practice without an undue hardship, then it must do so. That is a principle which has been memorialized in federal employment law for almost 50 years, and it is why EEOC is in this case.”
The EEOC’s Chicago District Office is responsible for handling discrimination charges and enforcing federal employment law in several states, including Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and the Dakotas. The EEOC encourages individuals who believe they have experienced employment discrimination to come forward. More information about the EEOC and its mission to prevent and remedy unlawful employment discrimination can be found on their website at www.eeoc.gov.
