EEOC Says Meatpacker Should Have Adjusted Break Times For Muslim Workers

According to an announcement on Friday by CAIR-Chicago, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has concluded that Swift Co. violated Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act when it refused to accommodate a request by Somali Muslim employees at its Grand Island, Nebraska meatpacking plant for adjustments in their break schedules. The employees wanted breaks timed so they could perform their daily prayers. The EEOC also concluded that Swift’s supervisors "subjected Somali Muslim Employees to unlawful harassment, disparate treatment, and discrimination in terms and conditions of employment based on their religion, national origin, race, and color."