A trucking company agreed to pay a former truck driver employee tens of thousands of dollars to settle an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) lawsuit alleging that the company discriminated against the driver’s religious beliefs.
On September 25, the EEOC announced that California-based U.S. Postal Service contractor Blue Eagle Contracting, Inc. will pay a former truck driver $60,000 in back pay and compensatory damages.
Truck Driver Resigns Over Missed Church Services
Earlier this year, the EEOC filed a religious discrimination suit against Blue Eagle, accusing the company of failing to make accommodations for a Christian truck driver to attend church serves on Sunday mornings.
Officials said that the driver normally worked a weekday shift driving between Reno and Tonopah, Nevada, but volunteered to cover a Sunday shift after a fellow driver suddenly resigned.
The driver reportedly told his supervisors he was only working the Sunday shift on an emergency basis until a replacement truck driver could be hired, but the company continued to require him to work Sunday mornings until he resigned.
The EEOC alleged that Blue Eagle violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which requires employers to “accommodate the sincerely held religious beliefs and practices of employees, absent undue hardship.”
What Are They Saying?
“Religious accommodations under federal law can take many forms, including accommodations related to scheduling that allow the employee to attend religious services or other religious observances,” said Christopher Green, director of the EEOC’s San Francisco District. “Employers must take religious accommodation requests seriously and grant them unless doing so would impose an undue hardship.”
Mariko Ashley, acting assistant regional attorney for the EEOC San Francisco District, said, “This case reflects the importance of engaging in a good‑faith, interactive process when an employee requests a religious accommodation.”
As part of the settlement, Blue Eagle is also required to review and revise its religious accommodation policies and practices, provide training to managers and employees on religious accommodation, and submit periodic reports to the EEOC.
