The practice of unfair discrimination in employment against properly qualified individuals by reason of their creed or declining to attend a meeting or to participate in any communication about religious matters, substantially and adversely affects the general welfare of the state. Wis. Stat. 111.31(1). Wisconsin employers that deny employment opportunities and discriminate in employment against properly qualified individuals solely because of their creed or declining to attend a meeting or to participate in any communication about religious matters, deprive those individuals of the earnings that are necessary to maintain a just and decent standard of living.
A cause of action for employment discrimination may be based on the employee’s failure to conform to the religious requirements of her employer and having nothing necessarily to do with the employee’s own religious affiliation. What matters in this context is not so much what the employee’s own religious beliefs were, but the employer’s asserted perception that she did not share his own.
The Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 is a United States federal law that “ensures that interests in religious freedom are protected.” A government may not substantially burden a person’s exercise of religion unless it demonstrates that application of the burden to the person is in furtherance of a compelling governmental interest; and is the least restrictive means of furthering that compelling governmental interest.
An employee who is subjected to discrimination or harassment in the workplace based on religious beliefs or refusal to participate in the employer’s religious activities may have a legal claim under state or federal law.
For a Confidential Consultation Contact a Milwaukee Religious Discrimination Lawyer at Alan C. Olson & Associates. Call (262) 785-9606
