Grocery Chain Slapped with Religious Discrimination Lawsuit
by Allie Martin
September 27, 2006
(AgapePress) - - A major supermarket chain based in California is being sued by a former employee who claims he was discriminated against because of his religious beliefs. Phillip Way claims he was hired by Randall's Food Markets in May 2004 with the agreement he would not work on Sundays due to his religious beliefs. But Way claims he was denied promotions and employment benefits because of those beliefs, and was eventually fired because he was unable to work on Sundays.
The Liberty Legal Institute has filed a lawsuit against Randall's on behalf of Way. Hiram Sasser, director of litigation for Liberty Legal, says the company's actions violate the law. "Under Title VII [of the Civil Rights Act], it's prohibited for a company to fire or deny somebody employee benefits because they want to exercise their religious beliefs by taking off the Sabbath," the attorney explains.
Sasser says because Randall's refused to do "the right thing," it was important that the lawsuit be filed.
"[Y]ou've got to send a message to these companies that Title VII is still the law and that people are allowed to honor the Sabbath," the Liberty Legal spokesman states, "and as long as it's not causing any kind of big deal at the company, then they can't try to force their employees to choose between honoring the Sabbath and having a job." And that is a decision no employee should have to make, he adds.
Sasser says the law is designed to prohibit employers from treating people as second-class citizens. Randall's, he adds, "should be ashamed for engaging in such blatant and hostile religious discrimination."
Allie Martin, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
