Witness Claims He Was Fired After Xmas-did not decorate Christmas cakes

[The Straight Story]

Witness Claims He Was Fired After Xmas

CLEVELAND (CN) - A baker who refused to decorate Christmas cakes claims in court that his boss fired him because he's a Jehovah's Witness.

Charles DiGiorgi sued Dave's Supermarket in Cuyahoga County Court.
DiGiorgi claims Dave's hired him as a baker on Dec. 14, 2011.

On or about Christmas, he says, "Dave's discovered the fact that DiGiorgi is a Jehovah's Witness.

"Dave's learned that DiGiorgi is a Jehovah's Witness because, pursuant to his religious beliefs, DiGiorgi did not decorate Dave's Christmas cakes.

"Dave's also learned that DiGiorgi is a Jehovah's Witness because he did not attend the company Christmas party."

http://www.courthousenews.com/2013/04/17/56756.htm

[dhol82]

1. kinda reminds me of the pharmacist stuff

we all get crazy when a pharmacist won't fill a birth control prescription or a morning after pill because of his religious belief. this is really in the same vein.

so it went against his religion. so, he couldn't just pipe a freaking merry christmas on a cake?? when you get hired on to do specific duties it just seems odd that you don't choose to do them.

could understand if the guy said, when he applied for the job, that he only did the baking and frosting - just no piping.

this is just weird.

[enlightenment]

2. He was hired as a baker at a supermarket.

One of his assignments was, apparently, decorating cakes. He did not complete his assignment. He was fired for not doing his job.

That has jack-all to do with his religion.

[Llewlladdwr]

4. I agree.

This is like a Muslim cab driver refusing to transport a fare carrying alcohol. The cabbie's job is to drive, not pass moral judgement on his passengers.

[joeybee12]

6. As do I...they didn't make the guy pray or anything...

Just a cake and by doing so he wasn't celebrating the holiday, he would have been doing his job.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

3. Jehovah's Witnesses also don't believe in birthdays, or any holiday

This guy has just about the worst possible job in the world for his faith.

[DannyHaszard]

5. Jehovah's Witnesses are highly litigious.

FACT-Jehovah's Witnesses are highly litigious.Their parent organization the Watchtower Society are themselves being subjected to many lawsuits for unfair practices.
Jehovah's Witnesses 'discriminated' against me for Whistle blowing on Watchtower Society corruption.-Danny Haszard
My fun JW critic page http://www.dannyhaszard.com

[Donald Ian Rankin]

7. Sounds like Dave's were within their *rights*, but I guess probably not *right*.

Firing someone because they won't do their job is, and should be, legal.

However, I suspect (although I don't claim any degree of certainty) that decorating Christmas cakes is a small enough part of a baker's job, and a supermarket will have enough other employees, that they probably could and ideally should have accommodated his desire not to.

[Ilsa]

8. No one asked him to worship the damn cakes.

He just needed to decorate them.

What the hell was he thinking, becoming a baker/cake decorator? Most cakes are for celebrations which JW doesn't believe in.

[Marrah_G]

9. he was fired for not doing his job