Jacob Ogles
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) just sued Orlando-based Marriott Vacations Worldwide over allegations of religious discrimination.
The federal agency said the timeshare business violated federal law when it denied a sales executive’s request not to work on Saturdays in observance of the Sabbath. The employee is a Seventh-Day Adventist.
“Employers need to remember that religious rights are not second-class rights, but rather part of our nation’s first principles,” said EEOC acting Chair Andrea Lucas. “Employers should take compliance with religious accommodation requirements under Title VII as seriously as compliance with their disability and pregnancy accommodations obligations: very seriously.”
President Donald Trump just renominated Lucas to a second five-year term on the EEOC. The news of the Marriott allegations came the same day news broke that Trump also appointed Brittany Bull Panuccio, an Assistant U.S. Attorney in West Palm Beach, to another seat on the Commission.
The EEOC said the employee had previously been allowed to take Saturdays off in accordance with her faith. But after a change in management, she was scheduled for Saturday shifts. After complaining to superiors, her schedule was changed in ways that negatively impacted her sales and commissions, but she continued to be given work shifts on Saturday.
Marriott Worldwide provided the following statement on the complaint to Florida Politics.
“It is not our company’s practice to comment on employment matters,” the statement reads. “However, we would like to stress that the complaint filed against Marriott Vacations Worldwide does not reflect our values and our caring culture. We have policies in place that prohibit unlawful discrimination on the basis of race, gender, and other protected characteristics such as religious beliefs.”
A lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Florida’s Middle District said this violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
“Under Title VII, employers must provide reasonable religious accommodations unless there is an undue burden,” said EEOC Regional Attorney Kristen Foslid. “Employers have a duty to work with their employees to attempt to find an accommodation and cannot revoke an accommodation without justification.”
Marriott Worldwide broke ground in 2021 on a corporate headquarters in Orlando, a year after announcing a relocation to Central Florida. The same year as the new headquarters opened, Marriott Worldwide President and CEO Arne Sorenson unexpectedly died. The company then named Anthony Capuano as President and CEO.
Prosecutors based in Central Florida issued a warning to employers.
“Employers must respect employees’ sincerely held religious beliefs, and it is the EEOC’s job to ensure employees can earn a living while adhering to those beliefs,” said EEOC Tampa Field Office Director Tamra Schweiberger.
