Mandatory Bible Study: At Work?
By Richard Cohen | | Uncategorized
Just the other day I posted about a religious discrimination suit brought by the EEOC against a Pennsylvania coal company for refusing to accommodate an Evangelical Christian who had been an employee for 35 years. He was fired for refusing to use a biometric hand scanner which tracks employee time and attendance, claiming that there was…
Read More Mark of The Beast: To The Supreme Court?
By Richard Cohen | | Uncategorized
Way back in 2015 I reported on a religious discrimination suit brought by the EEOC against a Pennsylvania coal company for refusing to accommodate (and forcing to retire) an Evangelical Christian who had been an employee for 35 years. An employee for 35 years – and suddenly a problem involving his religious beliefs? Huh? New…
Read More Religious discrimination cases are raising thorny legal issues
By Richard Cohen | | Uncategorized
“Skirts, hair follicles, the flu, dreadlocks and the Mark of the Beast — say what? Do these things have anything in common — and in an employment-law article? They all involve employee religious beliefs or practices. We are in a period right now where religious discrimination cases are dominating headlines – indeed, where religious rights…
Read More Does A Corporate Dress Policy Trump Religious Grooming Requirements?
By Richard Cohen | | Uncategorized
A new settlement brings to mind an old post – which bears reposting. The EEOC just settled a religious discrimination case filed against a Florida staffing company for the hospitality industry. It was alleged that an employee who was a Rastafarian, who wore dreadlocks as part of his sincerely held religious belief, was taken off his…
Read More One-Day Start Date Postponement To Accommodate Religious Observance: Not An Undue Hardship
By Richard Cohen | | Uncategorized
Hard to believe but true. A Maryland logistics/delivery company was just sued by the EEOC because it refused to hire an applicant for a dispatcher/customer service position who could not work on Rosh Hashanah due to his religious beliefs. Why did it do that? Got me. Apparently, he was willing to start the day after…
Read More Employers Must Accommodate Time Off For Religious Observances
By Richard Cohen | | Uncategorized
Once again the “takeaway” comes first today – in the form of a quote from an EEOC official: “Unfortunately, employers refusing time off for religious observances has become an increasingly common issue affecting the workforce. We hope that suits like this will help educate employers on their responsibilities to respect workers’ religious needs.” What prompted…
Read More I Cannot Work On The Sabbath!
By Richard Cohen | | Uncategorized
This post could have been written last year – in fact, it was (almost)! Change the venue from North Carolina to South Carolina, and the religion from Seventh-day Adventist to Hebrew Pentecostal and the facts of today’s post are virtually identical to a post from last September. Seems that a South Carolina company hired a Hebrew…
Read More Quarter Million Dollars: For A Single Hair?
By Richard Cohen | | Uncategorized
Another religious discrimination case has been settled – where a reasonable accommodation was easily achievable in the first place. It involved a hair. A major trucking company just agreed to pay $260,000 to settle religious discrimination charges filed with the EEOC. It was alleged that four East Indian Sikh job applicants refused to provide a hair…
Read More Does A Corporate Dress Policy Trump Religious Dress Requirements?
By Richard Cohen | | Discrimination in the Workplace, Uncategorized
A company that designs and manufactures automotive brake components, and its staffing agency, have just been sued by the EEOC for religious discrimination in hiring. The facts and the issue are familiar to us, and give us a chance to review the law on accommodation of religious beliefs and practices. In this new case, the would-be…
Read More Accommodate Religious Beliefs: Or Pay $42,500 To Settle
By Richard Cohen | | Uncategorized
Once again the takeaway comes first today: Unless it creates an undue burden, an employee’s religious practices and beliefs must be accommodated by an employer. And seeking such an accommodation through an interactive process with the employee is a must. Moreover, and this is important: most religious accommodations are not unduly costly! Which is why I am…
Read More RICHARD COHEN
Richard Cohen has litigated and arbitrated complex corporate, commercial and employment disputes for more than 35 years, and is a trusted advisor to business owners and in-house counsel both in the United States and internationally. His clients have included Fortune 100 companies, domestic and foreign commercial and investment banks, Pacific-rim corporations and real estate development companies, as well as start-up businesses throughout the United States.
AMY EPSTEIN GLUCK
Amy Epstein Gluck has represented individuals and corporate clients in Virginia, Washington, D.C., and various federal district courts for more than twenty years. Ms. Epstein Gluck’s current practice areas include employment law—advising on and drafting employment agreements; handling employment negotiations, severance agreements, noncompete and nondisclosure agreements, “wrongful terminations” and other EEO matters; representation at the EEOC level; advising employers about discrimination laws and how to remain in compliance, and employment negotiations.
