The Suncakes, LLC, a Texas-based business that operates as IHOP, is being sued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for restricting an employee practice his beliefs and firing him when he did so. The institutions breaks the law leading them to this lawsuit.
In January 2021, Suncakes allegedly hired a cook for their Woodlawn Road store in Charlotte, as claimed in the EEOC’s case. The employee asked for and received permission to work on Sundays out of respect for their religion. However, the employee was made to work on Sundays after a management change in April 2021, when the new general manager showed animosity toward the accommodation.
Texas-based Suncakes, LLC Faces Lawsuit for Violating Employee’s Religious Accommodation
According to the article shared by U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the employee asked his manager that he would not be working on Sunday, May 16, after finishing his shift on Sunday, May 9.
In the lawsuit that was filed, it says that the manager allegedly has said things like “religion should not take precedence over job” and that the employee “thinks it is a lot more important to attend church than to pay his bills.” According to the story in MSN, this alleged behavior allegedly violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which protects people from religious discrimination and retaliation and provides for workplace accommodations for employees’ beliefs.
In the U.S., the EEOC brought the lawsuit. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Suncakes, LLC, d/b/a IHOP Civil Action No.: 3:23-cv-00274) after making an effort to settle the matter before litigation through its voluntary conciliation process.
Supreme Court Hears Groff v. DeJoy: Balancing Religious Accommodations and Workplace Equality
The United Stated Supreme Court are currently hearing Groff v. DeJoy and deciding the scope of protection for an employee’s religious views. A former postal worker, Gerald Groff, requests a religious exemption from working on Sundays. According to the article in Christianity Daily, the case may cause workplace disruptions and add to the burdens of non-religious personnel. Groff challenges a provision from 1977 that restricts an employee’s ability to request religious accommodations without incurring more than a minimal cost to employers.
This case also raises questions about how LGBTQ+ workers are treated at work, as some may experience discrimination or exclusion because of their religious convictions around sexuality. In a separate case, a judge decided that the evidence was inadequate to rescind the federal exemption for religious institutions in a lawsuit involving LGBT students who claimed maltreatment. The children had reported their mistreatment to the school. A judge’s decision to retain religious exemptions by citing earlier Supreme Court rulings sparked criticism for perpetuating discrimination against LGBTQIA+ students at taxpayer-funded universities.
The Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) is responding to these legal disputes by anticipating additional legal action and recommending legislative agreements as a just method to resolve these concerns without drawn-out court litigation. This strategy aims to reconcile the rights of religious and LGBTQ+ people while promoting an environment that is more welcoming and respectful in the workplace and in educational institutions.
Related Article: Christians Face Individual Religious Discrimination in The Workplace for Their Morals, Study Finds