Hertz suspends praying Muslim shuttle drivers

[rsmith6621]

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2016429949_hertz07m.html

In the three years she's worked as a shuttle driver for Hertz at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Zainab Aweis, had always taken time out of her shift each day to pray.

An observant Muslim, she prays five times a day — with one, sometimes two of those prayer times falling during her shift.

"That was the one benefit of the job," the 20-year-old said.

On Friday, she and 33 other drivers — all of them Somali Muslims — were suspended indefinitely from their jobs after they took religious breaks to pray while at work without first clocking out.

A spokesman for Teamsters Local 117, which represents the workers, said it is trying to get the workers back on the job.

[CurtEastPoint]

1. I don't know what the law says but I suspect it says it's OK as long as it's your own time.

I mean, employers make you clock out to go smoke, go to the doctor, etc.

[demosincebirth]

3. All religions I know know make exeptions for rules regarding prayer. I guess Islam doesn't.

[Douglas Carpenter]

8. actually it does. I worked in the Middle East for almost 25 years and obviously worked with a lot

of Muslims. It was understood by the people who I worked with that they had a duty to work if they had essential work to do. If they were busy they would fit their prayers in when things were slow and it didn't interfere with their work. The question would be, was Hertz being reasonable in allowing them to pray when they had time to do so? On that question I have no way of knowing. It sounds a little strange to me that they would suspend several workers over a matter that clearly didn't just come up for the first time.

[etherealtruth]

2. I am all for employee rights ...

... however, if these employees ceased work activities and prayed in the Muslim tradition (ceasing their work activities)Hertz has a legitimate reason to suspend or fire them.

[vets74]

27. Not under Standard Labor Code. 15 minute break for every 4 hours worked.

Plus a food break.

These people are being attacked as a group, not because they are missing driving schedules.

Betcha Hertz turns this one around.

Either that or see Muslims go elsewhere. (And me.)

[Ikonoklast]

4. This is a tough one.

I can see the company's viewpoint on this, as they wanted their employees to clock out to pray, and those that did so weren't let go.

It seems that there were some that were not following the company policy, even after being told that is was being implemented.

Hertz was trying to conform to an EEOC ruling on this matter that was fair to both sides.

The employer was trying to keep track of the time used for prayer, as the employees were getting compensated for it.

Looks like some people are just being a little hard-headed about this.

[Logical]

5. Good! Religion should not be allowed to interrupt a work schedule. Practice....

your damn religion on your own time.

[democracy1st]

7. +1 I'm starting to think the same way tired of all this religious bs no matter where it comes from

[Logical]

9. They can pray the other 16 hours a day and I do not have any issue with it.....

I just don't want it to impact my life or interfere a company's business.

[Hippo_Tron]

32. Should we not observe Christmas as a federal holiday then?

[Deep13]

6. Personally, I think corporations need to get over themselves.

The whole you time vs. company time thing is a capitalist construct. Every minute of your life is your time. You may be working for someone else, but you are still your own person. We don't suddenly turn into robots who exist solely for our masters' will just because we clock in. I'm no fan of religion or praying, but it is part of the human condition and employers need to deal with it.

[Logical]

11. They legally DO NOT have to deal with it and SHOULD NOT have to deal with it! .......

So if my religion said I had to miss work every Monday they should be forced to let me? Bullshit.
If you need to pray five times a day and the business does not agree then you should not take the job.
My time at work is for the company paying me. If I am browsing the internet or praying then I am NOT earning my salary and should be punished or fired.
I love workers rights but companies also have the right to expect eight hours work for eight hours pay!

[Deep13]

17. So you completely buy into the capitalist cultural hegemony.

...and the notion of wage slavery where the bosses can control everything about you because they are paying you a pittance while you labor for their enrichment. You do not love workers' rights or workers for that matter because you have accepted the world view of the capitalists.

[Logical]

19. It is an agreement. I work 8 hours, they pay me for my time. Your attitude.....

gives liberals a bad image.

If you do not like the jobs requirement that you not fucking PRAY on work time then do not take the damn job. That simple.

[Warren DeMontague]

22. Oh, bullshit.

If you're paid to drive a bus, drive the fucking bus.

[Joe the Revelator]

24. Wtf....you get paid to work..that's the agreement.

[SoCalDem]

14. Workers who are on a strict time schedule, should perhaps

find a different line of work where their praying might not make someone miss a flight.

Somehow, I doubt that Allah would be all that pissed off if people reschedule a prayer or two during the work week..or maybe those truly devout workers could find a job working within a Muslim business where those rituals would get first billing.

[Deep13]

16. They're only on a strict time schedule because the bosses insist on it. nt

[Warren DeMontague]

23. That, maybe, and the fact that they're CARRYING PEOPLE WHO NEED TO CATCH PLANES.

:eyes:

[SoCalDem]

26. and perhaps flight schedules too

:hi:

[tammywammy]

10. Correct headline - Employees suspended for not clocking out for breaks

Employees that did clock out were not suspended even if they used the break time for prayers. Also it should be noted that Hertz is trying to comply with an EEOC settlement on a lawsuit that they were giving Muslims extra breaks and not extending that to non-Muslim workers.


"Broome said it's not about pay — break time is paid time — but to ensure that workers were staying within the 10-minute time slots, which has been a problem.

He pointed out that Muslim workers who clocked out were not suspended."

[NYC Liberal]

13. Yep. I bet you many others have been suspended for not clocking out

for personal breaks, but we're only hearing about it because of the religion aspect.

[NYC Liberal]

12. I'm okay with them allowing it IF they clock out first.

As others have mentioned, almost every company requires employees to clock out for personal time (smoking, etc.)

[louis-t]

15. The prayers only take a few minutes.

I have a Muslim client who stopped to pray as I was showing his family a house. He sat in the kitchen (the house was vacant) while the rest of us walked around. I'm sure it's really hurting Herts' profits for their drivers to take a few minutes. :eyes:
However, if they make people clock out to smoke, they should make them clock out to pray. Personal time.

[tammywammy]

18. Everyone has to clock out for breaks.n/t

[baldguy]

20. Workers are normally allowed two 15-min breaks and 1/2-hr unpaid break for a meal.

I know of no federal or state law which explicitly allows a company to restrict legal activities of employees during those breaks.

Of course, everyone knows they do - all the while infringing on their employee's civil rights - and the govt does nothing to stop it. This is just one more case.

[tammywammy]

25. This was their paid break

Hertz is trying to comply with an EEOC settlement. Hertz was sued because they were previously allowing Muslim employees extra time to pray and NOT allowing non-Muslims an equal amount of break time. In order to cover all their bases, all employees were to clock-in/out for even the paid breaks.

Muslim employees that did clock in/out were not suspended.

[Warren DeMontague]

21. If your religion interferes w/your ability to do your job, find another job.

Or another religion.

This applies to these guys just like it applies to the Jesus-drunk pharmacist who won't fill birth control prescriptions.

[madinmaryland]

28. +1

[demosincebirth]

30. ...or another religion

[Warren DeMontague]

31. I think I said that

'course, "no religion" works just as well.

[jtuck004]

29. I wonder if they will fire everyone who uses a browser for non-work-related browsing?

Or drops by a quick-trip for a soda when shuttling a car from one location to another.

Surely this isn't religious discrimination, picking on the Muslims because they have a different religion than most of the workers...after 3 years.

[cherokeeprogressive]

33. An employer is entitled to get the work they pay employees for.

Want a soda while shuttling a car? Buy a small cooler and put sodas AND snacks in it.

I would add that any browsing which isn't work related should be done OFF the clock. How about an integrated system wherein when an employee surfs the web for personal reasons the timeclock automatically clocks you out. I'd be for that.