CAIR, Law Firm Welcome EEOC Determinations in Favor of Fired Muslim Cargill Workers in Colorado

WASHINGTON, Aug. 9, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today joined RATHOD | MOHAMEDBHAI law firm in welcoming determinations by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) finding reasonable cause that Cargill Meat Solutions and Teamsters Local No. 455 in Colorado violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by discriminating and retaliating against Somali-American Muslim employees seeking religious accommodations in December 2015.

CAIR and RATHOD | MOHAMEDBHAI law firm have been defending the workers.

"Cargill's decision to ban prayer in its Fort Morgan facility came at a heavy price for its Black, Somali, Muslim workforce," said the employees' attorneys Qusair Mohamedbhai and Laura Wolf of RATHOD | MOHAMEDBHAI LLC. "These hardworking refugees were reliable, committed, and loyal to Cargill.  When Cargill refused to allow them to pray during their breaks, it did so with complete disregard for the destructive impact it would have on their lives."

"We welcome these determinations and hope they will ultimately lead to justice and compensation for all the workers who have suffered because they were denied their constitutionally-guaranteed right to reasonable religious accommodation in the workplace," said CAIR National Litigation Director Lena Masri.

Based on these findings of egregious and widespread violations of federal civil rights law, the EEOC is attempting to set a conciliation between the aggrieved employees, Cargill and the union. The workers are hopeful that, with the EEOC's assistance, they can help ensure the right of all employees to work without fear of discrimination regardless of race, national origin or religion.

Background on Case:

In 2015, Cargill began banning prayer in its Fort Morgan facility. Practicing Muslim employees who had worked and prayed at Cargill for many years were suddenly told that they could go home and pray or stay and work. Cargill also took a series of hostile, unlawful actions, including:

• Cargill supervisors began blocking the doors to the room in which Muslim employees prayed, barring anyone from entering;
• Cargill supervisors interrogated Somali-American Muslim employees after their bathroom breaks to ensure that they had not also prayed during their break; and
• Upper management explicitly told Somali-American Muslim employees that they could go home and pray or stay and work.

When these employees sought assistance from their union, they were met with hostility and a refusal to help. From December 21-23, 2015, approximately 150 Somali-American Muslim employees suffered a mass discharge when faced with the choice of abandoning their religion in order to work.

From March through June 2016, Cargill spent more $1,000,000 in Colorado taxpayer money challenging the right of these individuals to unemployment benefits. "In each and every case, Hearing Officers found that Cargill had unilaterally and substantially changed the working conditions of these Black, Somali, Muslim employees, none of whom were at fault for the loss of their employment," said Qusair Mohamedbhai and Laura Wolf. 

SEE: CAIR Welcomes Rulings Granting Benefits to Fired Muslim Cargill Workers in Colorado
http://cair.com/press-center/press-releases/13691-cair-welcomes-rulings-granting-benefits-to-fired-muslim-cargill-workers-in-colorado.html

CAIR offers a booklet, called "An Employer's Guide to Islamic Religious Practices," to help employers gain a better understanding of Islam and Muslims in the workplace.

SEE: An Employer's Guide to Islamic Religious Practices
http://www.cair.com/images/pdf/employers_guide.pdf

The Washington-based civil rights and advocacy organization urges community members to report any bias incidents to police and to CAIR's Civil Rights Department at 202-742-6420 or by filing a report at: http://www.cair.com/report      

CAIR recently launched an app to share critical "know your rights" information and to simplify the process to report hate crimes and bias incidents. CAIR is urging American Muslims and members of other minority groups to download the app and utilize this resource to stay informed and empowered.

For a quick download of CAIR's civil rights app, click here: http://www.cair.com/app    

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

La misión de CAIR es mejorar la comprensión del Islam, fomentar el diálogo, proteger las libertades civiles, capacitar a los musulmanes estadounidenses, y construir coaliciones que promuevan la justicia y la comprensión mutua.

CONTACT: RATHOD | MOHAMEDBHAI LLC, Qusair Mohamedbhai, [email protected]; Laura Wolf, [email protected]; CAIR National Litigation Director Lena Masri, 248-390-9784, [email protected]; CAIR Senior Litigation Attorney Gadeir Abbas, 720-251-0425, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, [email protected]

SOURCE Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)