Employment Discrimination |

CA Workplace Religious Freedom bill passes second committee

April 25, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

The campaign to pass the Workplace Religious Freedom Act (AB1964) in the State of California cleared another milestone yesterday when it was unanimously approved by the California State Assembly Judiciary Committee. From the Sikh Coalition: April 25, 2012 (Fremont, California) – Less than a week after receiving unanimous support in the Labor Committee in the California Assembly, the Workplace Religious Freedom Act (AB1964) again received unanimous support and passed through the Judiciary Committee. The bill now moves forward to the […]

Categories: Civil Rights, News Bits, Politics • Tags: AB1964, California, California State Assembly, Employment Discrimination, Judiciary Committee, Sikh Coalition, Workplace Religious Freedom Act

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AutoZone, Inc. settles for $75,000 in Sikh discrimination case

April 2, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

You may recall the case of automobile parts manufacturer AutoZone, who was sued by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for employment discrimination directed towards Frank MahoneyBurroughs, a recent convert to Sikhism: According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Massachusetts in Boston (Civil Action No. 1:10-cv-11648), AutoZone managers at its Everett, Mass., location harassed MahoneyBurroughs by disparaging his religion, asking if he had joined Al-Qaeda and whether he was a terrorist. AutoZone also […]

Categories: Civil Rights, News Bits • Tags: AutoZone, EEOC, Employment Discrimination, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Frank MahoneyBurroughs, Massachusetts

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Can’t find a job? Perhaps your name isn’t English enough

October 20, 2011 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Sikhs often suffer workplace discrimination as a result of maintaining their religious articles of faith – particularly the turban, uncut hair or the kirpan (sword). In many of these cases, qualified Sikhs are not hired or are asked to remove these items in order to qualify for a job even when these articles of faith do not interfere with job requirements. However, in employment, such discrimination isn’t always so obvious, and can occur long before an employer has even seen the candidate. A […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Reports/Studies • Tags: Canada, Employment Discrimination, English language, Language proficiency, microaggression, Simon Fraser University, United States

American religious affiliation vs. household wealth

May 12, 2011 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

The New York Times presented a study by the Pew Forum that compares household wealth with education level for various religious affiliations within the United States. Unfortunately, Sikhs are not included as a separate category. However, the results of the study are nonetheless interesting: The most affluent of the major religions — including secularism — is Reform Judaism. Sixty-seven percent of Reform Jewish households made more than $75,000 a year at the time the Pew Forum on Religion and Public […]

Categories: Reports/Studies • Tags: education level, Employment Discrimination, household income, joint family, Pew Forum, Pew Research Center, religious affiliation, Workplace Discrimination

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What Would You Do? Turban-wearing Applicant Rejected

Dissociating the turban from its negative connotations

May 10, 2011 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

For the first time, I watched ABC’s “What Would You Do?” last Friday night, solely because they featured a scenario in which a turban-wearing Sikh (portrayed by an actor) was being denied a job in a restaurant unless he agreed to remove his “head garb”. You can view the episode at ABC’s website. The show is certainly not a scientific poll, and we only know what the show wants us to see. However, it was interesting to note how various people in the restaurant […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Reflections, TV/Movies • Tags: "What Would You Do?", Employment Discrimination, Religious discrimination, Workplace Discrimination

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Tonight at 9 PM, a Sikh will be discriminated against

May 6, 2011 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Tonight, on ABC at 9 PM, the TV show “What Would You Do? ” addresses the following scenario: A young woman applies for a job as a waitress at a diner and is told the position is hers, on one condition: She can’t wear her Muslim headscarf while she works. “It’s not part of what we do,” says the manager. “It makes a statement that we don’t want to make here.” Is this simply a businessman enforcing his employee dress code, […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Events, TV/Movies • Tags: "What Would You Do?", ABC, Employment Discrimination, Religious discrimination, Workplace Discrimination

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Considering the experience of Sikhs in America.

Tag: Employment Discrimination

CA Workplace Religious Freedom bill passes second committee

AutoZone, Inc. settles for $75,000 in Sikh discrimination case

Can’t find a job? Perhaps your name isn’t English enough

American religious affiliation vs. household wealth

Dissociating the turban from its negative connotations

Tonight at 9 PM, a Sikh will be discriminated against