The EEOC announced yesterday that the meat processing company JBS Swift & Co. has settled an EEOC lawsuit against it that charged discrimination against Muslim employees who were immigrants from Somalia and were black. The EEOC had charged that the prayer obligations of Muslim employees were not accommodated, and that these employees were harassed when they tried to pray during regular breaks and at other times. It also charged that JBS shut off water fountains during Ramadan 2008, which stopped Muslim employees from getting water after fasting and from washing before prayers. JBS will pay up to $5.5 million to the 300 employees who are eligible to share in the judgment. According to the EEOC:
JBS will make all former employees covered under the decree eligible for rehire. It will review, update, and post its anti-discrimination policies; maintain a 24-hour hotline for reporting discrimination; investigate employee complaints; support a diversity committee; and provide annual trainings to all employees on the laws prohibiting employment discrimination. JBS also must provide clean, quiet, and appropriate locations other than bathrooms for employees’ religious observances, including daily prayers, and must also allow employees to use locker rooms or other locations that do not pose a safety risk for observation of their religious practices.
