Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Sowelu]

I know how US laws handle accommodations for disabilities and I think it's fair to apply something similar for religions.  They are required to specify their reasonable requirements at the time of hiring.  If it's viable to handle their requirements with minimal cost, accommodations can be made, like, give them the equivalent of unpaid smoke breaks and the use of a corner in the break room.  If accommodations can't be made (IE they need to drive a bus and they can't just pull over), it's justifiable to say they cannot perform the job with those requirements, so they need to either do the job or quit (or not get hired in the first place).

[Sordid]

Well, that couldn't possibly be bigotry, could it Sordid?

It's called a joke. Maybe not a particularly good one, but then when you think about it all jokes are at somebody's expense. Comedy is exactly the same as tragedy, minus sympathy for the victim.

Ignoring the sarcasm, here's a question:  Say there was an American that practiced the Islamic religion, and this person needed to pray during work.  This person tries to do so.  The boss happens to be nearby and tells this person to stop praying and get back to work.  He complains that his religion requires him to pray.  The boss says he will fire him if he doesn't get back to work.  What would you do?

Me being the boss or the religious guy?

[Sowelu]

It's called a joke. Maybe not a particularly good one, but then when you think about it all jokes are at somebody's expense. Comedy is exactly the same as tragedy, minus sympathy for the victim.

I always liked: "Tragedy is when I cut my finger.  Comedy is when you fall down an open manhole and die."

[LegoLord]

You are a bystander.

[Rilder]

Ask the boss why the Islamic dude can't just make up the time as overtime?

[Ampersand]

How about nothing since it's none of my business?

[Sordid]

You are a bystander.

Then I would do nothing since it's none of my business.
But yeah, what Rilder said. Technically the employer is in the stronger position, since the working hours and breaks are in the contract, if you want prayer breaks you should ask for them before you sign it. But I wouldn't have a problem with amending the terms if somebody converts after signing the papers or whatever, provided he makes that up and the breaks aren't excessively long, that being determined by whether or not they force the other employees to wait on him.

[LegoLord]

You know that failure to act when someone else is in a situation in which they are having their rights denied when there is something you can do about it is technically illegal?

In other words, you have a duty to do what you can to help those in need?

[MrWiggles]

Well in America, there something called reasonable accommodation. What reasonable is determine by the employer, and most large companies have reasonable accommodation guide lines. Some of the things I remember from my stinct in Walmart, was a disability that requires breaks from physical activity at the quarter hour for most of the jobs. Or having to step outside every half an hour for florescent lights so forth.

So since I'm bystanding (A bystander bystands, right?), and I take the question is where I live? So the employer has already deemed his praying to be unreasonable accommodation.

Could it be? Sure. But with the information given, I would have to say no.

A cashier couldn't readily leave a busy line to pray. Much like a body guard couldn't as well.

If there was a another religious person with the same job as the muslim and they were able to pray while the muslim could not, then that would be being an asshole.

[LegoLord]

You don't seem to understand the first amendment.  The boss is denying the person's right to freedom of religion by not allowing him to do one of the required daily activities of the religion.  The boss should be in trouble.

We just had a discussion about this today in class during a "prayer in school" debate.

[Sordid]

The establishment clause of first ammendment says:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.

Congress. Not a boss of a private company.

[LegoLord]

Congress>Boss.

If you'll notice, the boss does have to submit to Congress in several things, such as minimum wage and non-racially biased hiring.  US companies must obey US rules.

[Sowelu]

Yeah, and next you'll be arguing that the boss can't do anything to the employee based on speech he doesn't like, because the employee has freedom of speech, right?

[Sordid]

@Legolord: You do realize there is a difference between the private and the public sector, right?

[MrWiggles]

The establishment clause, only has power over state and federal law. A private company can make up their own rules, which you agree to when you are employed to them. These rules can't violate state and federal laws and regulations. If the employer was denying employment because he was religious or firing him because he was religious then it would be discrimination; firing him for requiring unreasonable accommodation is not discrimination, or the boss deciding what you are aloud to do on company time is not discriminatory.

If pray was not in the employment contract, the the boss is in the right to say no.