Benefits October 4, 2010
Hair Salon Stopped Accommodating Stylist’s Sabbath
October 4, 2010 (PLANSPONSOR.com) – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has filed a lawsuit against Supercuts hair salon.
Reported by Rebecca Moore
After nine years of accommodating a stylist’s request to not work on Sundays due to her religion, a new manager at Supercuts’ Pleasant Hill, California, salon scheduled Carolyn Sedar for Sunday shifts, according to an EEOC news release. Sedar submitted three written complaints to and had several conversations with the store manager and district manager informing them that she could not work on her Sabbath, and even gave them a copy of the EEOC’s guidance on religious discrimination.
The EEOC said Supercuts refused to excuse Sedar from the Sunday schedule and terminated her after she refused to work two consecutive Sundays.
The agency filed the suit, EEOC v. Supercuts Corporate Stores, Inc. (CV 104412 EDL), in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California after first attempting to reach a voluntary settlement. The suit seeks back pay and other monetary losses, compensatory and punitive damages for Sedar, and appropriate injunctive relief to prevent any future discrimination.