The federal government is suing a Chick-fil-A franchisee, alleging that the restaurant violated an employee’s religious freedom when they denied their request to have Saturdays off for religious reasons.
The case concerns Hatch Trick Inc, a restaurant franchisee in the Austin, Texas area. The employee - a United Church of God follower - observes the sabbath on Saturday, an arrangement the federal government alleges was agreed upon in her initial job interview in 2023.
But around half a year into her employment, the employee was told that the arrangement was no longer working - and she was offered a demotion if she wanted to keep observing her Saturday sabbaths.
Despite attempts to compromise, the employee was ultimately let go. Now, the federal government is getting involved, alleging that the Chick-fil-A franchisee flatly disregarded her religious beliefs and discriminated against her on the basis of faith.
Fired For Her Faith?
Chick-fil-A “violated federal law by refusing to reasonably accommodate an employee’s request to refrain from working on Saturdays in observance of her sabbath day and instead fired her,” reads a comment from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). In firing the employee, the EEOC alleges that the chicken chain violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which explicitly prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of religion.
Per the EEOC, the employee, who managed dispatch for delivery drivers, offered a variety of solutions to the problem, including having other managers cover her new Saturday shifts, having a driver cover Saturday shifts, or even working a partial shift on Saturdays after sundown.
The Chick-fil-A franchisee rejected all options, instead allegedly telling the employee that she would need to step down to a non-managerial role as a driver if she wanted to continue observing the sabbath on Saturdays.
The employee was let go shortly after, prompting the federal lawsuit now drawing national attention.
“Honor the Sabbath” Unless You Work Here
"Religious discrimination in the workplace is unlawful, and employers must make reasonable accommodations for employees' sincerely held beliefs," explains EEOC San Antonio Field Office Director Norma Guzman. “Title VII protects employees’ rights to observe their religious beliefs, and no employee’s livelihood should come at the expense of their religious convictions.”
But how will the case be resolved? Employers have the right to reject religious accommodations on the basis it would cause “undue hardship” to operations or income. Chick-fil-A employees already typically have Sundays off so they can observe the sabbath themselves… would giving one manager Saturdays off truly cripple operations to that degree?
It’s worth noting that in recent years, the courts have been broadly sympathetic to employees’ religious workplace accommodations, setting increasingly high standards as to what constitutes “undue hardship” for employers. In a 2023 case, the Supreme Court unanimously sided with a religious postal worker who was forced to work on Sundays, the day he observed the sabbath.
The franchisee, Hatch Trick Inc has yet to make a public comment, and Chick-fil-A is similarly keeping tight-lipped on the lawsuit - other than to note to a local news outlet that "all employment decisions are solely the responsibility of each individual restaurant owner," and not Chick-fil-A corporate.
Now the courts will decide whether the franchisee’s actions were a legitimate business necessity - or a clear-cut example of unlawful religious discrimination.
What do you think? Does the franchisee have a case, or is this a pretty cut and dry case of religious discrimination? And how far should employers have to go to accommodate faithful employees?
0 comments