Should the Ozarks Electric Cooperative have accommodated a Jehovah’s Witness who wanted one day off from work so she could attend a religious convention? The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission thinks so. And this week it took up the cause of Julia Solis, a call center customer service representative.
The EEOC charged in a lawsuit this week that the cooperative violated Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act by refusing Solis permission for time off and then firing her.
The EEOC said it tried to resolve the claim through negotiation, but that effort failed.
As a reminder, Title VII requires an employer to accommodate an employee’s need for time off for religious observance unless doing so would cause it undue hardship.
So, if Ozark fights this suit, it will have its chance to prove undue hardship.
Here’s the EEOC announcement of the action.
