在美国,雇主必须尊重员工的信仰

2016年01月02日 美国驻华大使馆


尽管有悖于美国陆军的政策,美国陆军专业下士西姆兰·兰巴(Simran Lamba)的宗教信仰受到尊重。作为锡克教(Sikh faith)信仰的一部分,他可以留须,也可以配戴头巾。(© AP Images)


最近,美国两名索马里裔的穆斯林卡车司机因拒绝运送酒精被解雇。他们就此向“美国平等就业机会委员会”(Equal Employment Opportunity Commission)提出投诉,结果获得胜诉。

美国是各种宗教信徒的家园。美国宪法(U.S. Constituti)禁止有关设立国教或阻止行使任何信仰的法律。马丁·路德·金牧师(Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.)和其他民权领袖通过艰苦奋斗实现的《1964年民权法案》(1964 Civil Rights Act)也要求雇主合理满足员工在宗教信仰和习俗方面的要求。

合理并不意味着适用于每一种情况,但如果满足员工在信仰方面的要求对雇主来说只是一种最低限度的负担的话,―― 例如,允许两位司机与不反对运送酒精的同事调换一下工作 ―― 则必须这样做。

10月份,联邦陪审团裁定给这两名货车司机24万美元的赔偿

雇主可以在许多方面满足雇员在宗教信仰方面的要求,其中包括:

  • 自愿替班或换班。

  • 重新分配工作。

  • 穿衣或装束方面的例外规定。

在着装标准方面,美国最高法院(Supreme Court)最近允许一位妇女就歧视行为提起诉讼,因为一家服装零售店因她佩戴盖头 (hijab)拒绝她在店里工作。另有一位法官最近告知美国陆军(U.S. Army) ,必须允许一位锡克族实习生留胡子和戴包头 (turban)。

在上述两位卡车司机胜诉后,“美国平等就业机会委员会”的一名律师说,“我们很高兴陪审团确认这些 ―― 和所有 ――员工都有权利信奉和行使自己的信仰,不论是什么信仰。”

“美国平等就业机会委员会”的另一位律师说,雇主“不可选择他们愿意满足哪些宗教和宗教习俗。雇主如果能在不承受过分负担的情况下合理满足员工宗教习俗的需要,就必须这样做。这是近50年来联邦劳工法中一项永世长存的原则。”



Two Somali-American Muslim truck drivers were fired recently after they refused to transport alcohol. They took their case to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and won.

The U.S. is home to citizens of many faiths. The U.S. Constitution forbids laws establishing an official religion or prohibiting the practice of any faith. And the same 1964 Civil Rights Act championed by the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders requires that employers reasonably accommodate their employees’ religious beliefs and practices.

Reasonably doesn’t mean in every case, but it does mean that if accommodating an employee’s faith would only minimally burden an employer — for example, allowing two drivers to swap assignments with colleagues who do not object to delivering alcohol — it must do so.

In October, a federal jury awarded $240,000 in damages to the two truck drivers.

Employers can be required to accommodate their employees’ religious beliefs in a number of ways, including:

  • Voluntary shift substitutions or swaps.

  • Job reassignments.

  • Exceptions to dress or grooming rules.

On dress standards, the U.S. Supreme Court recently allowed a woman who was denied a job at a clothing retailer because she wore a hijab to file a discrimination lawsuit. And a judge recently told the U.S. Army it must allow a Sikh-American trainee to retain his beard and wear his turban.

After the ruling in favor of the truck drivers, an EEOC attorney said, “We are pleased that the jury recognized that these — and all — employees are entitled to observe and practice their faith, no matter what that might be.”

Employers “don’t get to pick and choose which religions and which religious practices they will accommodate,” another EEOC lawyer added. “If an employer can reasonably accommodate an employee’s religious practice without an undue hardship, then it must do so. That is a principle which has been memorialized in federal employment law for almost 50 years.”


收藏 已赞