EEOC SUES MCDONALD’S FRANCHISE FOR RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION
Franchise Restaurant Failed to Hire Applicant Because of His Beard, Federal Agency Charges in Lawsuit
ORLANDO, FL – Chalfont & Associates Group, Inc. (McDonald’s), owner of multiple McDonald’s restaurants in Central Florida, violated federal law when it refused to hire a job applicant who would not shave his beard due to his religious beliefs, the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed today.
According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, a practicing Hasidic Jew applied for a part-time maintenance worker position at a McDonald’s in Longwood, Florida. During his interview, the hiring manager told the applicant he would be hired, but needed to shave his beard to comply with McDonald’s grooming policy. McDonald’s grooming policy states “[a]ll employees must be completely clean shaven.” The applicant told the hiring manager he would not shave his beard due to his religious beliefs. The applicant offered to wear a beard net as a solution, but was denied.
Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which prohibits discrimination based on religion and requires employers to reasonably accommodate an applicant’s or employee’s sincerely held religious beliefs, unless it poses an undue hardship.
Read more at https://suejob.com/employment-attorney-miami/f/eeoc-sues-mcdonald%E2%80%99s-franchise-for-religious-discrimination
