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Can You Claim Religious Discrimination if Fired for Poor Customer Service

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  • 04-09-2014, 11:02 AM
    tkc
    Can You Claim Religious Discrimination if Fired for Poor Customer Service
    My question involves labor and employment law for the state of: Texas

    I started this job at a local pet store on April 7th. I walked into the store and was told we had required reading every day because if you didn't do it you weren't doing your job. She pulls out a book about Jesus and starts reading a loud for about five minutes. (I'm not whatever that religion is. I'm a Druid (offshoot of Paganism).) There is a sign by the front door that says if you are stealing from them you are stealing from God, on their receipts it says "Have a blessed day!" and they play religious music in the store all day. When they interviewed me I kept getting weird looks at my pentacle necklace so I tucked it in my shirt.

    Anyway, April 7th was difficult. They don't care for their animals. Dirty cages, the place is just filthy in general. Dead animals left in the cages. I got yelled at because I was cleaning too much. Anyway, I finished my shift (9-2:30) and went home.

    April 8th. I come in at 2pm and they are "cleaning" the bird cages. I looked in one of the baby bunny cages and one of the babies (that another employee had brought up to the manager she thought was sick and was just told he was sleepy and to put him back) was dead. Everything I did was wrong despite doing exactly what I was told to do. The male owner came to me and gave me a shirt and again was told I was cleaning too much and to engage the customers (I was doing this and was told by the manager that I needed to be cleaning. Whenever I saw someone in my area, I engaged them). Later one of the employees yelled (raised voice) at me and pounded her hands together in front of the other employees and customers because I wasn't paying attention to the customers when in fact I was. At 5:20 pm the male owner comes back after leaving for a while and pulls my manager aside and starts whispering to her. My manager pulls me away from sweeping and says we need to talk. She was visibly upset. She said we are going to have to let you go. It's not going to work out. You tried. You can go home, I'll write you down for 5:30.

    I don't know why I was fired. A million things come to mind. I was never asked to fill out a w2. They didn't want a copy of my birth certificate or SS card when I asked if they wanted it. They said they got my number off my application. I don't mind other religions. I have nothing against them. But can you force it on someone like that? I've reported them to two animal welfare organizations. They just have poor business practices in general.
  • 04-09-2014, 11:08 AM
    Disagreeable
    Re: Not Given a Reason for Termination and Their Religious Views
    They are not required to give you a reason for terminating you.
  • 04-09-2014, 11:31 AM
    Dogmatique
    Re: Not Given a Reason for Termination and Their Religious Views
    What Dis said.

    And where exactly are you seeing illegal discrimination?

    Are you still getting disability while you're working?
  • 04-09-2014, 12:25 PM
    LawResearcherMissy
    Re: Not Given a Reason for Termination and Their Religious Views
    Quote:

    I don't mind other religions. I have nothing against them. But can you force it on someone like that?
    Oh, honey. Come on. Are you claiming to have not known that they were a loudly Christian company, in spite of the sign on the door and the notation on the receipt? As long as they're not insisting you profess your faith in Jesus Christ, or force you to remove your pentacle, or rag on you for not practicing their religion, they can play the local Christian radio station all day long, print "Jesus Loves You" on their receipts, whatever.

    Sorry, this doesn't sound like religious discrimination to me. You weren't taken aside and given a lecture because of your religion, you were let go because you weren't satisfying whatever customer service standards they wanted.


    (And before you get your back up, I'm a long-practicing Heathen. I worked for a very loudly Christian company for a while, and except for one woman who was eventually fired because she ran around telling the non-Christians that their dress/behavior/eye-makeup "isn't very Christian", it was a fine place to work. They were mildly confused by my religion, but that was the extent of it.)
  • 04-10-2014, 12:10 AM
    Dogmatique
    Re: Not Given a Reason for Termination and Their Religious Views
    I'd still like to know if OP is working while getting SSI...
  • 04-11-2014, 10:02 PM
    tkc
    Re: Not Given a Reason for Termination and Their Religious Views
    I was getting SSI/SSDI when I was working. My mom (payee) had to call in and report my earning. They take away so much of my SSI/SSDI for every so much I make.
  • 04-12-2014, 08:48 AM
    jk
    Re: Not Given a Reason for Termination and Their Religious Views
    Quote:

    Can You Claim Religious Discrimination if Fired for Poor Customer Service

    yes......yes you can but....


    claiming it doesn't mean anything unless you can also prove it. From what you have stated, there was nothing regarding your religion or theirs that caused you to be fired. You described a situation where it appeared you could not pick up on what they wanted you to do and rather than take the time to teach you, they simply let you go.

    to the W2: you do not fill out a W2. You would fill out a W4 (withholding). A W2 is a report of earnings. You should get one early next year for the money your earned at the pet shop.

    You should have had to fill out an I9 though but regardless of whether you did or didn't does not affect you. It is a matter between the employer and the government to deal with. They are who is penalized for not filling it out.


    to the treatment of the animals: ASPCA, or any other animal protections entity you can find.
  • 04-12-2014, 10:34 AM
    Mephis
    Re: Not Given a Reason for Termination and Their Religious Views
    Quote:

    Quoting jk
    View Post
    to the treatment of the animals: ASPCA, or any other animal protections entity you can find.

    As jk said.

    If they have animals dead in cages, and it is due to neglect, it is probably better you are not working there. Though I tend to care more for animals than I do for people.
  • 04-14-2014, 10:45 AM
    tkc
    Re: Not Given a Reason for Termination and Their Religious Views
    Quote:

    Quoting Mephis
    View Post
    As jk said.

    If they have animals dead in cages, and it is due to neglect, it is probably better you are not working there. Though I tend to care more for animals than I do for people.

    I got an email from HSUS asking me for my phone number. I emailed it back to them and still have not received a call. I think I'm more upset over the treatment of the animals than getting fired. I guess I was living in the fantasy after I found out how the animals were being treated that I could change the place. (I didn't know they extent til I started there)
  • 04-17-2014, 02:56 PM
    Mephis
    Re: Not Given a Reason for Termination and Their Religious Views
    Whereas the HSUS does good work the HSUS is not a government agency. You will get a quicker response if you contact a local SPCA or Humane Society. If there is none your local law enforcement agency should be able to direct you to whichever entity is acting as animal control and enforcement.
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