Sundays Are Sacred at Chick-fil-A. The U.S. Says a Worker's Saturday Sabbath Is, Too [View all]

Chick-fil-A is famous among fans for closing on Sundays out of respect for the Christian sabbath. Now the U.S. government is suing one of its franchisees, alleging it denied an employee’s request for Saturdays off to observe her sabbath.

The worker, a member of the United Church of God, was a manager at Hatch Trick, a Chick-fil-A franchisee with locations in the Austin, Texas, area. According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the worker’s Christian denomination celebrates the sabbath on Saturdays.

Hatch Trick initially respected the employee’s request, the EEOC said, but later tried to schedule her for Saturday hours. When she appealed to management, the company said it could honor her request if she accepted a lower-paying job with fewer hours and benefits, the EEOC said, and then fired her after she declined.

Chick-fil-A and Hatch Trick didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

Since taking charge at the EEOC last year, Chair Andrea Lucas has made it a priority to pursue employers whose actions might interfere with workers expressing their religious beliefs. Lucas, a conservative Christian, has said she believes religious discrimination was overlooked and under-prosecuted in the Biden administration.

https://www.wsj.com/business/hospitality/sundays-are-sacred-at-chick-fil-a-the-u-s-says-a-workers-saturday-sabbath-is-too-8bf0cc83?st=vHMeLD&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

Looks like Chick-fil-A just got a taste of karma...