Are you confused about the law's definition of religious discrimination?

Are you confused about the law's definition of religious discrimination?

A Charlotte, N.C.-based equipment rental company will pay
$64,641 to settle a religious harassment lawsuit brought by the U.S.Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) just days before the case was scheduled for a jury trial.

The EEOC had sued Sunbelt Rentals, Inc., the nationwide commercial rental company, on behalf of a Muslim worker who was allegedly discriminated

against because of his Islamic faith at a company facility in
Gaithersburg, Md.

In its suit (EEOC v. Sunbelt Rentals, Inc., Civil Action
No. PJM 04-cv-2978) in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, the EEOC charged that Clinton Ingram was subjected to derogatory comments and slurs based on his religion, Islam. The comments, according to the EEOC, included suggestions that Ingram might be a terrorist because he is Muslim. The suit alleged that various other hostile incidents were also directed at Ingram because of his religion, such as subjecting him to an anti-Muslim cartoon. The lawsuit
settled just a few days before it was scheduled to go to trial.

In addition to paying over $64,000 in compensatory damages to Ingram, Sunbelt must also take other actions set forth in the consent
decree resolving the case, including providing anti- discrimination
training to its Gaithersburg staff and posting a notice about the settlement. Further, the company is enjoined from engaging in religious
harassment and must report complaints of religious harassment at itsGaithersburg facility to the EEOC for monitoring.

There are some quick q and A's for employers on this link:

http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/publications/backlash-employee.cfm

HIRE ME: The phone interview

Your Mindset is your biggest tool for your job search! It needs to "show up" even in your phone interview.

http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=118046&catid=8&provider=email

WIN, WIN, WIN

Frustration can come at this time of year--especially with so much to do with the Holidays, the fiscal year end for some businesses and the unspoken "I need to get everything done I haven't gotten done this year." Here's a tip to

WIN!
What Is Next?

It is a way to stay focused and in the now moment:

What Is Next is your key to WIN!! Try it!

Latest I-9

Just be sure you are using the latest I-9 form. There is a pretty well written booklet as well on the gov site. The latest form has a revision 8/7/09.

http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-9.pdf

Secret Words We Use?

I was going though some paperwork over the weekend with the tv on and got caught up in a previous season of Hell's Kitchen; one of those back to back to back. I like Gordon Ramsay though I don't care for his language. He is from the UK and the employment laws are different there. He has restaurants in the US but I wonder if we saw a slip. In the season I watched, the two finalists were a 25 year old Culinary Student and a 47 experienced executive chef. His decision for choosing Christine, the student was "potential." He said he was thinking "long term"... Hmmmmm--code for youth? What would have happened if he chose the seasoned (;-0) chef who mentored the student. The opportunity to work in a kitchen run by this business man would be an epxerience, but would he also help the discipline with an example in mentoring?

POSTER now includes GINA!

The EEOC has updated its EEO poster to include the GINA requirements. This poster is available for free on the EEOC’s Web site at http://www.eeoc.gov/self_print_poster.pdf. As an alternative, you can post just the GINA requirement next to your current EEO poster, and the EEOC also has provided a supplemental poster online (again, free of charge) at http://www.eeoc.gov/gina_supplement.pdf.
So, be sure to update your workplace posters to include the GINA information before the November 21 effective date.