The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has released a statement that a Charlotte IHOP will pay $40,000 to a cook who was fired after refusing to work Sundays for religious reasons. The cook, who has remained anonymous, began working for the Charlotte IHOP in January 2021 and was granted a religious accommodation to not work Sundays to partake in religious observances. However, according to the employee, a change in management in April led to conflict, with the new manager requiring the employee to work Sunday, April 25 and Sunday, May 9. The manager also allegedly made hostile statements about faith, saying, “religion should not take precedence over [the employee’s] job” and allegedly accusing that the employee “thinks it is more important to go to church than to pay his bills.” The employee said he was fired after refusing to work anymore Sundays.
