EEOC, Federal Courts Agree: Forcing Meat-handlers to Handle Meat Violates Civil Rights [jdub]

Well, naturally, nobody should be able to force anyone to handle anything they don't feel like handling. Of course, one perhaps oughtn't to complain too much about handling X if they've sought employment in the X-handling business.
The courts, also naturally, disagree, noting that such a requirement is worth, oh, say, $150,000:

The Work Connection, which referred workers to Gold'n Plump, has agreed to pay $150,000 to the class for requiring applicants to sign a form stating that they would not refuse to handle pork in the course of their jobs and for turning away workers who refused. The Work Connection will no longer use that form and will offer placement at Gold’n Plump to job seekers previously turned away for refusing to sign the form.

The really lucrative discriminationgeld, however, is in the prayer-break field.

Under the decree Gold'n Plump will add, for one area of its plants, a paid break during the second half of each shift in addition to a break early in the shift and lunch breaks it had been providing as required by law. The additional break will accommodate the religious beliefs of Muslim employees who wish to pray during the course of the work day. The timing of the breaks will fluctuate during the year to coordinate with the religious timing for Muslim prayers, which is governed in part by sunrise and sunset. Gold'n Plump has also agreed to pay $215,000 to a class of Muslims who may have been disciplined or discharged when they took breaks to pray.

What, did Canada's HRCs come south for the winter?

P.S: I realize now that this is not so different from how the UAW works, which essentially requires a substantial minority of its workers to refrain from handling any auto-related materials whatsoever. Indeed, so enlightened is the UAW that it allows its autoworkers to avoid entering any sort of facility where any automaking might be undertaken!

posted by xgenghisx at 04:42 PM

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