Riverside Religious Discrimination Lawyers
California and federal law both prohibit discrimination in the workplace based on an employee’s religion. Employers cannot segregate employees, they cannot take adverse employment actions against employees in retaliation for their religious practices, they cannot commit or condone offensive jokes and other harassment, they must make reasonable allowances for religious observance, and they cannot enact policies targeted at certain religions or promoting some religions over others.
If you work in California and you’ve been the target of religious discrimination in your place of employment, you have the right to fight back. If you have been fired, rejected for a job, refused the right to wear your religious garb or attend religious ceremonies, or otherwise subjected to discriminatory conduct, the dedicated workers’ rights attorneys at Ochoa & Calderón are here to help you get the compensation you are owed and the justice you deserve.
Religious Discrimination Laws
Federal law prohibits religious discrimination in workplaces across the country. The federal anti-discrimination law applies to employers with at least 15 employees. Discrimination can be perpetrated by management, supervisors, or even co-workers or customers if not addressed by the company. Federal employment law protects all types of religious practitioners and applies to “not only people who belong to traditional, organized religions, such as Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism, but also others who have sincerely held religious, ethical or moral beliefs.”
California laws, including the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) and the California Workplace Religious Freedom Act of 2012 (WRFA) offer even greater protections for workers. The laws apply to employers with as few as five employees, and they make it harder for employers to claim an exception to the law. California law specifically notes that the “undue burden” standard for claiming that a religious accommodation is not reasonable is a higher bar under state law than the requisite showing by employers under federal law.
What Counts as Religious Discrimination?
Religious discrimination in the workplace can take many forms. Just because a worker was not fired because of their religion does not mean they were not subjected to unlawful workplace discrimination. If you’ve been the target of adverse employment actions, harassment, or other wrongful treatment because of your religion, you might have a claim against your employer. Under California and federal law, any of the following conduct can constitute religious discrimination:
- Refusing to hire an employee based on their religion
- Refusing to promote an employee because of their religious beliefs or practices
- Denying an employee a bonus because of their religious observance
- Terminating an employee because of their religious beliefs or practices
- Refusing to provide reasonable accommodation for religious observance
- Paying employees differently based on their religious practices
- Refusing to permit employees to wear religious garb or maintain religious grooming practices (such as maintaining a beard), or penalizing employees for doing so
- Making bigoted comments, stereotypes, or jokes targeted at an employee’s religion
- Refusal to allow workers to take time to observe religious holy days, including the Sabbath
- Forcing employees to participate in religious activities
- Permitting or condoning a hostile work environment
- “Constructive termination,” whereby an employer limits an employee’s access to the support or equipment necessary to do their job, or permits a hostile work environment, forcing them to quit
If you’ve been the target of any form of religious discrimination in the workplace, a seasoned workplace discrimination attorney at Ochoa & Calderón can help you hold your employer accountable and recover the compensation you are owed. If you suspect that you are experiencing discrimination, give our religious discrimination legal team a call today to discuss your case. We’ll investigate your employer and your situation to find out if you have a claim for recovery.
Religious Discrimination Attorneys Serving Riverside and Southern California
If you have experienced religious discrimination in the workplace in violation of California state or federal law, reach out to Ochoa & Calderón for a free consultation. We take appropriate cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning we only charge a fee if we are successful on your behalf, and our fees come as a percentage of the amount we recover for you. You’ve got nothing to lose by calling now, but you lose your chance to enforce your legal rights if you wait. Call us at 951-901-4444 in Riverside or throughout Southern California at 844-401-0750. Our lawyers are ready to fight for your rights.
