UPS Sued for Not Allowing Muslim Workers to Pray at Work
Read original article by Christine Bauman on Alpha News or read a quick summary below;
- The United Parcel Service (UPS) and an Edina staffing agency are being sued for allegedly banning Muslims from praying during work hours.
- The newly hired operations manager barred Muslim employees from praying during work hours, and would not allow the employees to set their own breaks to coincide with the prayer times.
- The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN) filed the lawsuit against UPS and Doherty Staffing Solutions citing a violation of the Minnesota Human Rights Act. Abdullahi Dahir and Abdifatah Hassan, the two Muslim men represented in the lawsuit, were fired in June 2014 from the Mendota Heights UPS warehouse facility.
- The lawsuit calls the observance of the five daily Islamic prayers as “a mandatory and essential part of the life of Muslims.” Prior to June 2014, Muslim employees at the Mendota Heights facility were able to observe the five daily prayers outside of breaks and during work hours.
- The lawsuit claims the new operations manager, hired by Doherty, barred Muslim employees from praying during work hours, and would not allow the employees to set their own breaks to coincide with the prayer times. The new manager also allegedly said any employee found praying during a bathroom break would be sent home.
