UPS sued over ‘discriminatory’ beard ban

A Muslim man who objected to rules requiring him to get rid of his beard if he wanted to become a driver for UPS Inc. was told by a UPS official that “God would understand” if he shaved, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commissioner said in a lawsuit filed Wednesday against the shipping company. Male employees in the same roles also are barred from growing their hair longer than collar-length. Rose, an attorney for agency’s New York office.

“UPS has persistently failed to accommodate its employees and job applicants”. Muslims and Christians at other facilities were forced to shave their beards in violation of their religious beliefs while they waited months or years for UPS to act on their requests for religious accommodation.

“No one in this country should have to choose between a job and their religious beliefs and practices”, said EEOC lawyer Elizabeth Fox-Solomon in an interview. “UPS respects religious differences and is confident in the legality of its employment practices”, spokeswoman Susan Rosenberg said. Ten candidates were not hired in favor of “less qualified, younger” applicants, according to a statement from the EEOC.

Regulators are seeking an injunction against UPS, which employs more than 300,000 people nationwide, and is seeking back pay and damages for impacted employees and applicants.

The lawsuit was filed because the company’s Burbank, California, office had not hired any job applicants over the age of 40 for a three-year period between 2008 and 2011 as management trainees, the EEOC said in its statement Tuesday. “The company will review this case, and defend its practices that demonstrate a proven track record for accommodation”.

In one case, it says, a manager ignored a request for a religious exception by a worker trying for a promotion, telling him he “didn’t want any employees looking like women on his management team”. He asked five supervisors including human resources personnel for UPS’s religious accommodation paperwork, but was told the documents were not available. EEOC seeks injunctive relief, including modification of UPS’s practices relating to religious accommodations.