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A manufacturing plant in Wisconsin has changed its prayer policy to prevent dozens of Muslim employees from worshipping on the job — and threatened to fire them if they don’t like it, workers said.
Ariens Company, a Brillion-based maker of snow blowers and lawn mowers, used to allow the 53 Muslims who work at its headquarters plant to take two breaks a day — for five minutes at a time — to fit in their ritual prayers, according to WBAY.
But that abruptly changed Thursday, when the company sent out a statement saying it “does not allow for unscheduled breaks in production” — even for prayer.
Furious Muslim employees said they can now only fit in daily prayers during their lunch breaks, which likely do not conincide with their prayer times. Muslim scripture requires five daily prayers, each at the same times every day.
Some workers said that when they complained, their bosses handed them unemployment papers.
The Equal Opportunity Employment Commission says that employers do not have to accommodate an employee’s religious beliefs if they “cause undue hardship” to the company, including a decrease of “workplace efficiency.” Muslim workers at the Brillion plant said other employees took over their tasks during their prayer breaks.
After a dispute over Muslim prayer time, about 150 employees at Cargill's sprawling Fort Morgan, Colo., plant didn't show up for work for three days — grounds for termination. They were fired. Some of those workers claimed they weren't allowed to take prayer breaks, while Cargill claimed that it was still following its policy allowing the breaks.
On Dec. 18, some Somali workers didn't get the chance to take prayer breaks, which CAIR says was the culmination of long-standing tensions over prayer breaks at the plant.
Cargill said that on that day, 11 Somali workers in one part of the plant all wanted to pray at once during the second shift. Normally, the company allows only one to three to go at a time during a shift so as not to interfere with meat production.
Cargill initially said 10 Somali workers resigned at the end of the shift after the dispute and that 180 didn't call in or show up for the first three days of the following workweek, and were thus terminated.
originally posted by: Klassified
a reply to: mobiusmale
As it should be. This is not a culture built around Islam. If I move to a different country, I expect to make allowances for their customs and culture. If I don't like it, I don't expect them to change their culture for me. That's not how it works. The old saying is... "When in Rome..."
Funny how everyone wants to claim freedom of religion to protect Muslims praying during working hours, but those same people are the first to say a religious baker should be forced to bake cakes for gay weddings.
originally posted by: korath
Those 10 minute prayers add up to 65 hours a year, better than a week and a half off on company time to practice their religion. From the companies standpoint, times that by the amount of Muslims working there and I can see why their getting tired of it.
originally posted by: BestinShow
Religion should be practiced at home or temple, not work...
Common sense factor prevails once again.
originally posted by: VegHead
originally posted by: BestinShow
Religion should be practiced at home or temple, not work...
Common sense factor prevails once again.
I hear what you are saying, and my first reaction was agreement with your statement ... However when someone is fully committed to their faith, there are no boundaries of home/house of worship/work. Faith is central to their life. You don't turn it on and off depending on your environment.
I don't leave my faith at home or at church, and I don't expect the devout of other faiths to do so either.
This doesn't mean the plant needs to make special a accommodations, though. They set the rules and people can decide that they either will or will not be able to follow those rules. If they can't, they can find work elsewhere.
Faith issues aside ... It would be like me (a 20+ year long "devout" vegetarian) getting s job at a slaughterhouse but then refusing to kill and process animals because it goes against my personal beliefs. Ridiculous. I would never seek out a job that didn't fit my requirements to begin with! Likewise, Muslims should seek work where they know their need can be accommodated.
I understand their upset because the employer used to be accommodating and now is not ... Time to dust off their resumes!
Exactly.
In China, for example, Christmas is just another day. Employers there would never, not for one second, consider caving in to a demand by Christian workers that they should not be compelled to work on this day (or Good Friday/Easter).
The difficulty is that, especially for "recent arrival" Muslims, they do not seem to grasp this concept.
Faith issues aside ... It would be like me (a 20+ year long "devout" vegetarian) getting s job at a slaughterhouse but then refusing to kill and process animals because it goes against my personal beliefs. Ridiculous. I would never seek out a job that didn't fit my requirements to begin with! Likewise, Muslims should seek work where they know their need can be accommodated.
originally posted by: theantediluvian
a reply to: VegHead
Faith issues aside ... It would be like me (a 20+ year long "devout" vegetarian) getting s job at a slaughterhouse but then refusing to kill and process animals because it goes against my personal beliefs. Ridiculous. I would never seek out a job that didn't fit my requirements to begin with! Likewise, Muslims should seek work where they know their need can be accommodated.
Your analogy is invalid. Remember that the company policy was to allow the breaks. The company policy has changed. These aren't workers who entered into an employment arrangement and then tried to renege.
I think a lot of posters are missing this completely.
originally posted by: Benevolent Heretic
I can't believe the company had a "prayer policy" in the first place...
This has been my position all along: If a company WANTS to make accommodations for religious employees, and everyone is treated equally, that's fine. But stopping production on the floor for any reason (except an emergency) is not something an employer should have to do. And their co-workers shouldn't have to cover for them.
If they work on a line, especially, you can't just be leaving your station at any time.