Next Tuesday the U.S. House Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions is scheduled to hold hearings on the Workplace Religious Freedom Act of 2007 ( H. R. 1431).
This important legislation promotes the free exercise of religion by strengthening workplace protection of employee’s right to follow his or her religious beliefs. Specifically, it amends Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to require that employers “reasonably accommodate” employee’s religious practices, so long as this does not create an “undue hardship” for the employer.
The North American Religious Liberty Association has a nice information pack on the WRFA (.pdf). Of note, the pamphlet sites a disturbing U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission report that between 1993 and 2003, workplace claims of religious discrimination shot up 82%.
You can send letters in support of this bill to your Representative and Senators by filling out a form here.
UPDATE: In response to my letter (submitted at the above website) Senator Corker’s office e-mails, in part:
I agree with you that religious freedom is a fundamental American right and that no American worker should be discriminated against because of their religious beliefs. I look forward to reviewing this legislation, and, should it come before the full Senate, I will certainly take your thoughts on this issue into consideration.
I’ve not yet received a response from Senator Alexander or Representative Duncan.
So, what is it people are trying to achieve with this legislation?
Shall we just wait patiently at the bank while all the Christian Fundamentalist tellers go out back and toss snakes around for an hour?
Shall we spend a few extra mins in the lounge waiting for dinner while the Shinto waitresses find a tree to pray to?
How much will get done at the Hospital while the Muslim orderlies break for prayer five times a day?
Does this mean I have to put up with Matzah Balls in the vending machines? Bagels instead of Donuts for continental breakfast in the Super 8 lobby?
Does the Satanist dish washer get to burn a pentagram in the parking lot?
What does “undo hardship” mean?
The bottom line is that people that push this kind of useless legislation do so for aesthetic value only. It’s an ego trip.
One with true faith does not need permission to pray. They can do so without anyone even knowing and without stopping their activities. This is about ritualism.
It’s also a prime example of making prayer for show, so that those doing so revel in the attention and thus glorify only themselves. Something Jesus hated.
This legislation is almost as foolish and benign as those that developed it.
This is about ritualism.
No it isn’t. It’s about putting some teeth in the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Specifically, it’s about allowing Americans–to the extent it is reasonably feasible–to follow their religious beliefs without being discriminated against in the workplace.