Sundays are time to pray, not for pay

March 2022 employment law letter

Authors:

Eric S. Roth, Stearns Weaver Miller

In the midst of the Great Resignation, you’d think employers would put forth the extra effort to accommodate employees (and comply with the law). Yet, as a recent settlement agreement demonstrated, that isn’t always the case.

Employee refuses to work on Sabbath

An Amazon delivery partner in Florida terminated an employee after he refused to work on a Sunday. He went to church instead.

In fact, when the employee was hired, he had told the employer he couldn’t work on Sundays because he attended church then. The employer asked the individual to work on Saturdays, and he agreed. The employer not only forgot its agreement but also the law.

Consent decree’s terms

Now the employer owes the employee $50,000. Moreover, as part of the final judgment and consent decree approved by the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, the company agreed to:

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