Supreme Court Religious Discrimination Decision Makes it Tougher for Employers to Claim Undue Hardship

While the First Amendment to the Constitution guarantees Americans the right to practice their religion freely, there have been numerous instances where a worker’s attempt to do so has been challenged by their employer. A decision from the U.S. Supreme Court regarding a mail carrier who believes his Christian faith prohibits work on Sunday makes it more difficult for employers to deny similar requests. 

Groff v. Dejoy, involves a letter carrier who took a job with the United States Postal Service (USPS) when employees in his position did not have to work on Sundays. In time, changes to the delivery system meant that Gerald Groff and his co-workers were put on Sunday shifts. Citing his evangelical Christian faith, Groff refused to work on the Sabbath and faced an escalating series of disciplinary measures until he eventually left his job. 

When Groff sued based on his First Amendment and Title VII rights, USPS defended its position by nothing that employers were not required to make religious accommodations for employees when doing so would create an undue hardship. The Third Circuit sided with USPS, ruling that an undue hardship existed because work schedules would have to be changed and some other employees would have to take extra Sunday shifts to accommodate Groff’s observance.

The Supreme Court disagreed and ruled in favor of Groff. In a unanimous decision, the justices stated that an employer is required to show substantial increased costs in order to show that the requisite undue hardship exists. Under this standard, the fact that some schedule reorganization would have to occur was not sufficient to deny Groff’s request. Moreover, the decision holds that employers must consider alternative options when a worker seeks a religious accommodation rather than just concluding that an undue hardship exists. 

In most cases, there are various ways that a business can easily adapt to an employee’s faith-based needs. If you have been denied the opportunity to attend a religious service or conduct an observance that has some effect on your job, this ruling can be very important. At Kardell Law Group, we understand the importance of practicing one’s faith and are determined to enforce our clients’ Constitutional rights.