A Florida delivery service agreed to pay $50,000 to an employee who was fired for not showing up to work for a Sunday shift after requesting time off to attend church services.
The Tampa Bay Delivery Service, a delivery company used by Amazon, was ordered to pay $50,000 and offer “other relief” as part of a settlement in a lawsuit brought forth by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging unlawful religious discrimination, according to a statement from the federal agency.
“We commend Tampa Bay Delivery Service for working collaboratively with EEOC to resolve this lawsuit,” said Robert Weisberg, a regional attorney with the EEOC Miami District.
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“The company’s willingness to address EEOC’s concerns will help in preventing future employees from being forced to choose between employment and a religious belief,” Weisberg said.
The former employee, Isavion Howard, had been hired by the delivery service on May 12, 2019, according to the complaint filed by the EEOC on Sept. 29 of that year. Prior to being hired, Howard informed the company that due to his religious beliefs, he would not be able to work Sundays, but he could work Saturdays.
“TBDS scheduled Mr. Howard for work on Sunday, September 8, 2019,” and after this, he reminded the company that due to his Christian beliefs, he would be unable to attend work Sunday, according to the lawsuit.
“Mr. Howard did not show up for work on Sunday,” the lawsuit said, and that same day, he received notification from his job that he was being terminated despite “several other delivery drivers” also having the day off.
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In addition to monetary compensation, the delivery service will “provide training on religious discrimination” in order to help “managers and dispatchers” know how to prevent discrimination in the workplace and try to accommodate employees with religious needs, according to the EEOC statement.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the TBDS, Amazon, and the EEOC for a comment.
