Airline Settles With EEOC Over Failure To Grant Religious Accommodation

Yesterday's Twin Cities Pioneer Press reports that Mesaba Airlines (a subsidiary of Delta) has settled a religious discrimination lawsuit brought by the EEOC. A federal district court judge in Milwaukee on Tuesday approved a $130,000 settlement in the suit brought on behalf of five individuals who were refused accommodations of their religious beliefs. The consent decree will also require monitoring and training. The suit was initially filed on behalf of former customer-service agent Laura Vallejos was fired when she refused to work on the Jewish Sabbath. Subsequently the EEOC identified four Christians who were refused customer service jobs because they wanted time off to attend Sunday church services. Mesaba has since dropped its "no shift swap" policy and also no longer employs customer service agents.