A Jewish community center in New York City will pay $100,200 to settle a federal religious discrimination and retaliation charge after allegedly refusing to accommodate a Christian employee’s request to attend Sunday church services.
The Young Men’s and Women’s Hebrew Association of Washington Heights and Inwood reached the settlement with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission following a federal investigation.
According to the EEOC, the agency found evidence that the organization violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act when it failed to provide a Christian employee with a religious accommodation that would allow her to attend Sunday church services and meetings required for her role as a church leader. The EEOC also said the organization retaliated against the employee after she sought the accommodation, forcing her to resign in 2022.
The dispute was resolved through the EEOC’s pre-litigation conciliation process, resulting in the payment to the former employee.
Under the agreement, the YMHA also committed to several corrective actions, including revising its policies on religious accommodations, providing anti-discrimination training to staff, posting notices about the resolution, and reporting religious accommodation requests and related complaints to the EEOC. The agency will monitor compliance with the agreement for two and a half years.
Arlean Nieto, acting director of the EEOC’s New York District Office, commended the YMHA for taking steps to improve its policies and training.
“A reminder to employers: Title VII applies to all aspects of an individual’s religious observance, practice and belief,” Nieto stated. “When religion conflicts with a work requirement, employers must provide an accommodation, unless doing so would cause an undue hardship.”
