Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Suit Charges Watch Wholesaler With Religious Discrimination Against Employee

The New York Daily News yesterday reported on the filing of a religious discrimination lawsuit in state court by the former vice-president for sales of Concepts in Time, a wholesale clock and picture frame store in Manhattan. The suit seems to be connected to a broader dispute between former employee Jamie Errico, a Catholic, and the wholesale company, owned by Saul Jemal, an Orthodox Jew. In April Jemal accused Errico of taking the company's confidential and proprietary information before leaving and going to work for a competitor.  Errico complains that Jemal would not let her wear a crucifix to work, even though Jewish employees wore stars of David. It also claims that while Jewish employees were allowed to take off early on the evenings of holidays, Errico's pay was docked when she did not show up on Christmas eve. Errico also complains that she was not allowed to make or sell watches with any kind of non-Jewish symbols, and says she was fired two weeks before Christmas of 2009. [Thanks to Joel Katz (Relig. & State in Israel) for the lead.]