News Oct 21, 2011 at 9:08 am

Seatac Hertz Fires 25 Muslim Workers for Praying on the Job

Goldy
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Comments

1
If they don't have people clock out for other types of breaks... They are in trouble.
SeattleSeven on October 21, 2011 at 9:11 AM Report this
2
Are they taking their prayer breaks in addition to other breaks? If so then yeah, I can see the point. But then I've been one to equate religion on the job as being the same as religion in schools. Great if you want to practice it but keep it out of the work place and public arena.

I would need more information about this before making to big of a deal out of it.
Cato the Younger Younger on October 21, 2011 at 9:12 AM Report this
3
Just smoke while you pray (or pray while you smoke) and there's no problem.
MacCrocodile on October 21, 2011 at 9:14 AM Report this
5
@4, well yeah, letting them go IS over the top even if they wanted additional breaks for prayer. Seems they could have found a better solution.

Cato the Younger Younger on October 21, 2011 at 9:23 AM Report this
6
Headline is horse-shit. Those workers were NOT fired for "praying on the job".
Just Jeff on October 21, 2011 at 9:24 AM Report this
7
Hertz workers are not required to clock out for activities such as cigarette breaks, prompting the union to charge that the new policy amounts to religious discrimination.


That there is what you call a slam-dunk.
Joe Szilagyi on October 21, 2011 at 9:24 AM Report this
8
Let the Viadoom commence ...
Will in Seattle on October 21, 2011 at 9:25 AM Report this
9
Seems to me that if Muslim employees get paid breaks non-Muslim employees don't get, THAT is religious discrimination.

What's Local 117's angle? Do they anticipate a settlement where everybody - Muslim or not - gets paid breaks at Muslim prayer times?
RonK, Seattle on October 21, 2011 at 9:36 AM Report this
10
Great journalism, Goldy. Don't give us all the facts, just link to a press release from the union.

The usual Slog. There's no gray area in this world. Every story has only one side.
bigyaz on October 21, 2011 at 9:37 AM Report this
11
Arab autumn?
zombie eyes on October 21, 2011 at 9:41 AM Report this
12
equal breaks for non-smoking atheists!
Max Solomon on October 21, 2011 at 9:45 AM Report this
13
From the Seattle Times article linked in the Morning News (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/lo…), it looks like everyone is allowed 2 paid 10-minute breaks per day. According to my very limited understanding of Muslim prayer requirements, only two (possibly 3? depending on sunset time?) of their prayer times would have to fall within a normal work day. Still couldn't figure out from either side's statements if the employees in question were trying to take two 12-minute breaks, or five 30-min. breaks. (Never mind that, at <$10/hour, it's probably not costing Hertz a whole lot of money)
this guy I know in Spokane on October 21, 2011 at 9:48 AM Report this
14
From the Times article it sounds like Hertz is a really crappy place to work.
DOUG. on October 21, 2011 at 9:48 AM Report this
15
Everybody Hertz...sometimes.
Jubilation T. Cornball on October 21, 2011 at 10:01 AM Report this
16
I wonder what fox news would say if hertz fired 25 christian workers for praying on the job?
ryanayr on October 21, 2011 at 10:02 AM Report this
17
@16 -- I wonder what Slog would say if Xtian fundies demanded paid breaks to parade around with GOD HATES FAGS signs?
RonK, Seattle on October 21, 2011 at 10:07 AM Report this
18
Thank you, JTC.
jen on October 21, 2011 at 10:08 AM Report this
19
@17: Uh . . . I think @16 was making an "analogy". It's when you compare two things that are similar.
Ziggity on October 21, 2011 at 10:09 AM Report this
20
@16 God goes up in smoke. How a cab company in liberal Seattle decided that you could smoke on the job, but not pray to god. Then get some god botherer to go about how we are pushing god out of our lives.

Seems like there should be a way to work this out so they can pray. It doesn't take that long.
giffy on October 21, 2011 at 10:10 AM Report this
21
@20, you're right, Fox News probably would call Hertz a "cab company in liberal Seattle".
gloomy gus on October 21, 2011 at 10:17 AM Report this
22
Hertz doesn't "allow" 2 10-minute breaks, that's the law if you work more than 6 hours per day.
JonnoN on October 21, 2011 at 10:28 AM Report this
23
@22 thanks for the clarification. Now we know that the law coddles whiny babies.
this guy I know in Spokane on October 21, 2011 at 10:33 AM Report this
24
If they wre Christians not Moslems, no one at slog would care.
on October 21, 2011 at 10:58 AM Report this
25
@23 What the hell are you talking about? Ever worked a job where you were on your feet all day?
sikandro on October 21, 2011 at 11:24 AM Report this
26
Ziggity @ 19 -- And the essential difference is . . . ?

There is a labor issue here - but it's not religious discrimination. It seems that the employer (or at least its immediate supervisors) first failed to enforce standard legislated and negotiated breaks policy, and then unilaterally enforced the same policies.

The employees' complaint might succeed, in which case Hertz and all other similarly situated employers will stand advised to never ever cut similarly situated employees any slack in the first place.

RonK, Seattle on October 21, 2011 at 12:08 PM Report this
27
Sooo the Times article doesn't say anything about workers not having to clock out for other types of breaks. Do we have proof of that? I think that's the most relevant issue here.
leek on October 21, 2011 at 12:10 PM Report this
28
I don't see this as religious discrimination; the company is insisting they clock out for their breaks and the employees are refusing to do so. What they do on their breaks - smoke, pray, beat off - is irrelevant. If it's enforced unfairly (if smokers aren't required to clock out, for instance), that's a whole different issue, but if employees are required to clock out for breaks and are not doing so, I think Hertz is within their legal rights.

That being said - hey, I hear Hertz has job openings!
Geni on October 21, 2011 at 12:50 PM Report this
29
Well good. pray to your imaginary magical sky god on your own time.
sonder on October 21, 2011 at 12:51 PM Report this
30
Like a cigarette break, religion is detrimental to your health. So I guess the Union's right.
sirkowski on October 21, 2011 at 1:13 PM Report this
31
Just heard a segment on the NPR top of the hour national feed so it will be getting some attention....
Mr. Happy Sunshine on October 21, 2011 at 1:17 PM Report this
32
It's two short prayers during the work day. The cost to the company is damn near zero. And you can bet that smokers are having cigarettes more than twice a day and not clocking out for it. And that's fine! But any job where you have to account for every minute so closely that you can't step out for a cigarette or pray to Mecca is a crappy job, and more power to the union for standing up against their parsimony.
Cascadian on October 21, 2011 at 2:06 PM Report this
33
@29 after you stop smoking.
Will in Seattle on October 21, 2011 at 2:07 PM Report this
34
@30: Explain exactly how religion is detrimental to one's health. My religion often helps keep me in a good state of mind even when I'm under a lot of stress, improving my overall health.
venomlash on October 21, 2011 at 3:40 PM Report this
35
@25 - I put a < / s > at the end of my comment (as in "turn off sarcasm") but it didn't get through somehow. Oh well.

And yes, I have. I didn't like it.
this guy I know in Spokane on October 21, 2011 at 3:46 PM Report this
36
@17 - Slog would say: "I am never going to rent a car at Hertz ever again"

@35 use the bracket punctuation for irony. [!] or [?]
ryanayr on October 26, 2011 at 11:51 AM Report this
37
First of all, ALL workers should have to clock out whenever they take additional breaks whether it's for smoking, or whatever. BUT, smoking and praying is NOT the same. Smoking is done when convenient. Praying is done at specific times. Still, for the sake of "fairness", a company should just clock everyone out for "personal time" whenever an employee does something like smoke, pray, etc. And it should be understood that the timing of the activity should be at the discretion of management.

I lived in a Muslim country for many years. Muslims have a sense of entitlement when it comes to their religion. They expect that every one has to make allowances for their behavior when it comes to religion (whether it's prayer, or Ramadan, or not eating pork in their presence, etc.) but they have very little tolerance for anyone else.
HenryT2 on October 29, 2011 at 9:51 PM Report this

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