EEOC Investigating AT&T Religion Discrimination Claim

The San Antonio Express-News reports that Bob Dosee was given a one-day suspension in January after he failed to show up for work on a Sunday, even though he told his supervisors in advance he would not work. As part of his job as a customer service technician he often was scheduled to install and repair telephone lines on Sundays.

When he did not show up for work on another Sunday in March, he was “indefinitely suspended without pay, pending termination, effective immediately,” Dosee said, according to the Express-News. A law firm then filed the EEOC complaint on Dosee’s behalf.

The EEOC will evaluate the claim to decide whether there are grounds for a complaint or whether it should be pursued in federal court.

According to the news report, AT&T spokesman Walt Sharp said AT&T is “always committed to complying with the law. We are a 24/7 customer service business and we have certain jobs that require working on Sundays.” He added that Dosee “has not been dismissed. He is on suspension because he was not able to work as needed.”

Sharp also said Dosee could have transferred internally to another AT&T position that did not require Sunday work. The news report said Dosee’s attorneys pointed out in a letter to his employer that the suggestion indicated that any employee whose religions advocated against working on their Sabbaths “could never apply for a job as a customer service technician at AT&T.”