Apple Under Fire: Federal Lawsuit Alleges Religious Discrimination and Retaliation

Tech giant Apple is facing a federal lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), accusing the company of religious discrimination and retaliation. The suit claims that Apple refused to accommodate an employee's religious beliefs, leading to her termination.

The legal action centers around a former Apple retail employee in the company's retail store in the Woodlands Mall in Texas.

According to the EEOC's complaint, the employee requested a religious accommodation to avoid working on Saturdays, citing her sincerely held Christian beliefs. Her church, the Seventh-day Adventist Church, observes Saturday as the Sabbath, requiring members to abstain from secular work from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset.

Despite her request, Apple allegedly denied the accommodation.

The EEOC states that the employee made multiple attempts to find solutions, including offering to work additional shifts on other days or swap shifts with colleagues. However, these efforts were reportedly rebuffed by management.

The lawsuit further claims that after her request was denied, the employee faced an escalating pattern of retaliation.

This allegedly included being disciplined for not working on Saturdays, receiving negative performance reviews, and ultimately being fired. The EEOC argues that Apple's actions constitute a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on religion and requires employers to reasonably accommodate employees' religious beliefs unless doing so would cause undue hardship.

This case highlights the ongoing tension between employer policies and employee religious freedom.

The EEOC is seeking back pay for the former employee, as well as compensatory and punitive damages, and an injunction to prevent Apple from engaging in future discriminatory practices. This legal battle could have significant implications for how large corporations handle religious accommodation requests from their diverse workforce.