Chick-fil-A Franchisee Denies Employee Fired for Observing Saturday Sabbath
Summary
A Chick-fil-A franchise owner in Texas is being sued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for allegedly firing an employee who asked not to work on Saturdays due to her religious beliefs. The franchise owner denies the claim, saying the employee abandoned her job and that her accommodation requests were unreasonable.Key Facts
- The EEOC filed a lawsuit against Hatch Trick, Inc., a Chick-fil-A franchisee operating in Austin, Texas.
- The lawsuit claims the company violated federal law by not accommodating Laurel Torode’s request to avoid working on Saturdays for religious reasons.
- Torode is a member of the United Church of God, which observes the Sabbath from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown.
- Torode worked as a fleet supervisor from September 2023 until February 2024.
- She initially was not scheduled to work on Saturdays but was later told she would have to work that day.
- Torode made several proposals to avoid working Saturdays while keeping her managerial role, including having others cover her duties or working after sundown.
- Hatch Trick argued that the requests were unreasonable and said Torode was fired for abandoning her job, not because of her religion.
- Chick-fil-A is known for closing its restaurants on Sundays to allow employees time for rest or worship.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.
