OT: Should I quit?

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I DO NOT and cannot give Legal advice. I am not a lawyer. Information given is personal experience and/or opinion. You use the information at your own risk and peril. As always you should address your questions to a lawyer that specializes in this area rather than post them on usenet.

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Well let me tell you a true story, then you decide. I was a supervisor for a large organization.

I attended an Equal Employment Opportunity Class for supervisors taught by a federal judge that specialized in EEO matters. There are several protected classes, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or handicapping condition.

We were told that if we had a requirement for a group of our employees to work a Sunday (in this case it was overtime), and an employee could not work because of religious reasons, that was a protected class and must be honored. Management was required to make accommodations for that employee and that employee could not be forced to work because religion was protected. Management in this case could require that employee to work extra hours during the week to make up for the scheduled Sunday work, but could not force the employee to work Sunday.

Me, having a big mouth, then stated that wasn't fair to the other employees. I was then stared down by this judge and told it didn't have to be fair, it was LAW and if the other employees didn't like it too bad, they had to do lots of things they didn't like. Religion is a protected class.

From

Religious Accommodation

• An employer is required to reasonably accommodate the religious belief of an employee or prospective employee, unless doing so would impose an undue hardship.

So how much hate and discontent do you want to cause your employer in pursuit of your (maybe) rights?

There is lots of info. available on the Internet, here are a couple of places to start:

or Personal advice - Talk to your employer and see if they can change your shift or make some other accommodation. It is always best to give them the opportunity to help you solve the problem. Show a willingness to be flexible and work with them, be nice when you approach them.

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Again this is not to be confused with LEGAL advice.

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Before I started my new job (I live in the states) I told them I didn't want to work on Sundays for religions reasons. After they gave me my uniform I find out that I'm working on Sundays and I won't be able to go to church because I'm working at that time of day.

I am very devoted in my faith and beliefs and I would like to keep the Sabbath day holy, but work doesn't allow me to. Should I quit the job even though I just started? I'm unsure what to do at this point. __________________________________________________________

Talk to your (Rabbi/Priest/Ayatollah/Guru) and ask if there is some way the church can accomodate your needs to earn a living and at the same time to serve your religion. Any caring religious leader will have a solution for you.

Good luck.

Rodan.

I am generally of the opinion that when it comes to making a living so that you can care for your family, that always takes a priority. You don't have to go to church strictly at 12 PM on every Sunday. There is much debate about church attendance matters out there, and I won't dig into it, but consider Sunday evening or Wednesday services, which are offered by practically every church I know of, as an alternative to butting heads with your job. After all, it is unlikely that that which you believe in wants you to suffer through hard times solely because you refused to offer a shred of flexibility.

OTOH, you should never let an employer screw you over, because that becomes a very real "slippery slope" effect. I worked in cable installation, and because I was a nice fella, I was asked to go to places that I didn't know offered less money for more work. It wasn't much less though, so I couldn't complain much, and I got to take the company truck everywhere due to the distances involved (my truck remained parked at home). Then I got moved two more times, and that last time was when the money cut in half. The pay is production-based, not hourly or salary, and in a place with horrible crawlspaces and no underground lines, you're either on a ladder or under a nasty old brick house all day long, doing far less work due to the complexities involved in older communities. The end result was me being miserable and finally quitting before I was financially broken. If you feel that flexibility in your time of worship is something that is non-negotiable, tell your employer (kindly but firmly) that you cannot and will not work on Sundays at the time they are scheduling.

It is all a matter of how strict you are regarding your religious beliefs. Personally, I believe that I have to be somewhat flexible because things in life are not always timed as planned and keeping any kind of timing very strictly is rarely easy for me.

My $0.02 + a grain of salt to take it with.

~Jody

While your primary advice should come from your pastor and church family, I think I know why you ask here.

But my thinking is that, if it bothers you enough to ask here, the answer should be obvious. First, though, I suggest you talk to your supervisor in a very nice way and find out how long it might be till you no longer HAVE to work Sundays. {I'm thinking the problem is working Sundays, not missing services}.

Take it from me... lack of action on this, or any other workplace problem, will only make the problem fester more in your mind and result in lower performance and you getting fired, anyway.

Oh, yeah... the OTHER thing. you may be able to MAKE them give you Sundays off, but anyone working in the real world knows that's not a viable option for those who dont care to devote considerable time to lawyers and litigation.

Because THEN you'll have to deal with OTHER workplace problems... 'Little Caesars' love their power. Just human nature.

Don't ask me how, but I probably have more experience in this than anyone here, and as much as your pastor. I'm not one to tell anyone what to do, but let me give you some thoughts.

First of all, letme address this from the perspective of the relationship between you , God, and your church. No church that I know about will tell you that you go to Hell for missing church on Sunday. Because you said you go to a Church, I know that you believe both the Old and New Testaments. According to the New Testament, a Christian is no longer under the requirements of the Law, because Christ fulfulled the law. So, technically, you don't have to go to church every Sunday to go to heaven.

With that in mind, the question of where you'll work will depend on your desire and level of commmitment. If you want to be able to serve the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, as the Bible teaches, then you'll want to be at church every time the doors are open, so to speak. I personally feel that that's your dilemma. If you really feel that you want to serve the Lord to the very best of your ability, then you have to decide to act on faith. Seek first the kingdom of God, right?

The other thing I sense from you is that you're hesitant to quit right away for two reasons. The first is that this new job has more to offer in some way. The second is that you don't want to be a bad testimony as a Christian. I think you can put the second one to rest. You made your conditions of employment known up front. If they are saying that they won't hire you unless you work Sunday, then the decision is theirs, not yours. You need, IMHO, to go to them and remind them that you told them up front that you would not work Sunday. If they fix the schedule, the problem is solved. If they don't, it's they who have breached the contract, not you.

Hope that helps,

CJB

I agree with CJB. Clearly, not working on Sundays (or at least certain times on Sundays) is important to you for religous reason. You made it clear to them before your started. I would make it clear to them again.

And if they don't change your schedule, then don't either don't work on Sundays or get a lawyer involved for reasons stated by another poster.

Jeff

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Why don't you just say, oh I see you have my working on Sunday, and I can't work on Sundays. It could be they just to be reminded.

It's back and everybody fell for it......................

TROLL ALERT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

... ( descripti It's back and everybody fell for it......................

TROLL ALERT !!!!!!!!!!!!!! ____________________________________________

Is this a known troll, or should it be obvious from the style or the context of the message? If it is a troll, yes, I thought the OP was sincere and I fell for it.

Best regards to all AAFers

Rodan.

Speak to Bush, he might be able to threaten them.

On a more practical tone I say work the Sundays, you need the $s to pay your church.