This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
'Federal law is clear. Religious liberty is not optional – it's protected'
A teenager employed by a major corporation under a special high school training program has been fired for observing the Sabbath and attending church.
And the legal team at the American Center for Law and Justice is coming to his defense.
The organization reported this fight is over "Eli," who as a teen was "unjustly fired by General Electric for going to church to observe a Sabbath day."
Eli was described as a devout Christian who has faithfully observed a weekly Sabbath for as long as he can remember.
"He informed his employer of his sincerely held religious practice and repeatedly requested a reasonable accommodation: to have his Sabbath day off from work. Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, employers are legally required to reasonably accommodate an employee's religious beliefs unless doing so would pose an undue hardship," the ACLJ report said.
GE claimed the case involved "an undue hardship" but was unable to identify what that hardship would be.
"GE told Eli, in no uncertain terms, that if he did not show up to work on Saturdays, the day of his Sabbath, he would be fired. Eli remained true to his faith – and GE followed through on its threat and fired Eli on the day of his high school graduation. He was fired for what they labeled as 'attendance issues' – a pretext for punishing him for practicing his religion," the report said.
The report said Eli's case now is in mediation with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and because of ongoing delays the ACLJ has joined the case.
"We are fighting to hold GE accountable for its discriminatory actions and to ensure that Eli receives justice," the report said. "No one should be forced to choose between their job and their faith – especially a teenager.
"Employers must provide reasonable accommodations for religious practices unless doing so would cause undue hardship, which is a high bar under the law. In Eli's case, there was no indication that honoring his Sabbath accommodation would have caused an undue hardship."
