A Kroger grocery store in Conway, Arkansas, fired two long-time women employees who declined to wear aprons bearing a LGBQT pin because doing so would force them to appear to endorse a political opinion that violates their Christian faith.
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 forbids discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin, so the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed suit against the Ohio-based grocery chain with stores in 35 states, according to McClatchy News. The stores are Kroger and Harris-Teeter outlets.
“Companies have an obligation under Title VII to consider requests for religious accommodations, and it is illegal to terminate employees for requesting an accommodation for their religious beliefs,” said Delner-Franklin Thomas, district director of the EEOC’s Memphis District Office, which has jurisdiction over Arkansas, Tennessee and portions of Mississippi.
“The EEOC protects the rights of the LGBTQ community, but it also protects the rights of religious people,” she said in an EEOC news release announcing the suit earlier this week.
Go here for more information from the EEOC.
What’s Kroger doing requiring any employee to wear anything displaying any point of view not relevant to shopping at Krogers?
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It is about time that we end forcing individuals to “support” the right of free speech.
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I could wish for an actual news report.
Why is the homo. pin required wearing on a Kroger apron? It isn’t in my store, though the homos. wear it in violation of company policy.
When did this happen? How did it happen? Who is representing the women? Who is representing Kroger?
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There is an actual news story. It’s all over. Try Bing.com. Other local news channels across the country also have articles about this.
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