http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2006/04/03/daily14.html
EEOC sues RaceTrac Petroleum, alleges religious discrimination
For the second time in less than a week, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has sued an Atlanta company claiming discrimination against a Rastafarian.
The EEOC filed this latest suit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia after first attempting to reach a voluntary settlement.
Dian Paul, a Rastafarian and former staffing coordinator of Atlanta-based RaceTrac Petroleum Inc., claims she was discriminated against and fired by the company because she wore dreadlocks and a head wrap for religious reasons. Rastafarianism is a Jamaican religion with about 1 million adherents and that is often associated with reggae music and ritual marijuana smoking.
The EEOC claims Paul told her manager at RaceTrac she wore the dreadlocks and the head dress because of her religious beliefs. The managers allegedly maintained this did not fit into to the company dress code and she had not satisfied them that it was because of her religion.
The 1964 Civil Rights Act requires employers to make reasonable accommodations to employees and applicants for sincerely held religious beliefs as long as this does not pose an undue hardship.
RaceTrac operates self service gas stations and convenience stores with 42 stores in Georgia and more than 300 stores with 4,000 employees in the Southeast.
On March 30, the EEOC filed a lawsuit against Atlanta-based United Parcel Service Inc. (NYSE: UPS), alleging the package shipper committed religious discrimination by refusing to hire a Rastafarian as a driver helper because of his beard. UPS vigorously denied the claim, noting the plaintiff never even completed the company's job applications process.
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