AUSTIN, Texas - An Austin Chick-Fil-A franchisee has been accused of religious discrimination in a new lawsuit by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
The EEOC says that Hatch Trick Inc, which operates multiple Chick-Fil-A locations in Austin, violated federal law when they fired an employee instead of reasonably accommodating her request to not work on Saturdays as per her religion.
What they're saying:
The lawsuit says that the employee is a member of the United Church of God, which observes a Saturday Sabbath. She requested no scheduled hours on Saturdays, disclosing that need during her job interview. The employee was in charge of delivery drivers at one of Hatch Trick's Austin locations.
Initially, Hatch Trick Inc honored that request, but after several months allegedly changed its position and demanded she work on Saturdays.
The employee reportedly made additional requests for religious accommodation, met with company officials on several occasions, and even suggested a number of alternatives to allow her to stay in her position but also adhere to her faith.
The EEOC says that the company rejected all options and instead told her she must move to a non-managerial driver position, meaning she would receive lower pay, reduced benefits and fewer hours.
She declined the new position and was subsequently fired, says the lawsuit.
Her firing violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which requires employers to provide "reasonable accommodation" for an employee's religious beliefs and practices unless it would cause an "undue hardship" to the business, claims the EEOC.
The EEOC says that it tried to reach a pre-litigation settlement before filing the lawsuit.
The Source: Information in this report comes from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission