Religious Discrimination Law Cases.
Religious Discrimination in New York State
Have you been the victim of Religious Discrimination at work in New York City or New York State?
Religious discrimination occurs when an employer treats an employee or applicant differently because of their religious beliefs or practice.
Illustrative image depicting a potential situation of religious discrimination in a New York City Work Place.
It is illegal for an employer, employee, supervisor, or business partner to treat a worker or applicant differently based on their religious beliefs in New York City. In most cases, if an employee demands prayer breaks during the working day, wears specific religious clothing at work, or takes leave for religious events, the employer must make reasonable efforts to accommodate the employee.
Religious discrimination may include planning important deadlines or scheduled events at times of known religious celebrations, resulting in the employee not participating.
Federal Law On Religious Discrimination
Under Federal Law, it is unlawful for an employer to bully a person because of their religion. Harassment includes insulting remarks about people’s religious beliefs and practices.
When it becomes frequent and severe, religious discrimination can create a hostile work environment and lead to adverse employment decisions such as dismissal or demotion.
Discrimination also includes assigning employees to non-customer contact positions based on actual or perceived customer preferences. In addition, the law requires most employers to provide adequate accommodation for employee religious practices unless doing so would cause severe business difficulties.
Religious Discrimination Laws in New York City
New York City prohibits most employers with four or more employees from discriminating against an employee or applicant based on religion under its Human Rights and Religious Rights initiative.
There are many ways for workers to demonstrate religious discrimination in the workplace. First, workers and applicants can collect direct evidence of religious discrimination.
This type of evidence consists of written or verbal testimony by you or someone who witnessed the discrimination. Another possibility is to demonstrate a pattern of business practices that show religious discrimination or persecution. For example, you may be able to show that supervisors treated workers differently as a matter of policy regarding religious beliefs.
Religious discrimination at a New York City workplace can take different forms. A few examples are:
- Unlawful Dismissal
- Harassment
- Hostile Work Environment
- Denial of Rights
The law provides exceptions for religious organizations such as churches, synagogues, mosques, religious schools, and other religious institutions. The law allows these organizations to hire people who share their religious beliefs and adopt policies that deny employment to people of a different religious affiliation.
Suppose you have been the victim of religious discrimination at work. In that case, it is vital to be proactive so you can prepare your complaint and then submit it to the competent authority.
Document the incident when it occurs. Consider what was said or done, who was involved, when it happened, and who witnessed it. Following the proper procedures will help your case.
We don’t collect money unless you win your case. If you have questions about religious discrimination in New York City, contact a religious discrimination lawyer at Stillman Legal P.C. We want to hear from you!
