Last fall, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued Apple for discriminating against an employee in a Virginia store. After this long-standing employee converted to Judaism, he requested an accommodation for his faith in 2023. This involved adjusting his shifts so that he could observe the Jewish Sabbath, which runs from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday. The manager denied this request, claiming that it ran counter to a store policy involving weekend work. The employee reluctantly worked on the Jewish Sabbath but soon faced discipline for alleged violations of grooming policies. Eventually, he lost his job in January 2024.
The employee filed a charge with the EEOC for a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits religious discrimination by businesses with 15 or more employees. When its conciliation process failed to produce a settlement, the EEOC filed suit directly rather than simply issuing a right-to-sue notice to the employee. The federal agency argued that the tech company had broken a rule that covered employers must provide accommodations for the religious practices of their employees, unless this causes an undue hardship. The EEOC also alleged that the manager had fired the employee because of his religion and in retaliation for asserting his Title VII rights.
The lawsuit resulted in a settlement this month, under which Apple agreed to pay $150,000 to the employee. This includes $80,000 in back pay and $70,000 in compensatory damages. (Title VII allows for compensatory damages when an employee incurs out-of-pocket costs, such as the cost of looking for a new job, or when they suffer emotional harm like mental anguish because of the discrimination.) In addition, Apple agreed to adjust its policies for accommodating religious observances. Managers who deny these accommodations will need to provide a written explanation to the employee making the request. The tech giant also must train managers and HR personnel on Title VII’s protections.
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