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FrodosPet

(5,169 posts)
Tue Aug 9, 2016, 06:51 PM Aug 2016

Muslim flight attendant sues ExpressJet over suspension

Muslim flight attendant sues ExpressJet over suspension

http://www.seattletimes.com/business/muslim-flight-attendant-sues-expressjet-over-suspension/

Updated August 9, 2016 at 9:12 am | The Associated Press


DETROIT (AP) — A Muslim flight attendant has sued ExpressJet, accusing the airline of wrongly suspending her because she refused to serve alcohol to passengers.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations’ Michigan chapter announced Tuesday it filed the lawsuit last week on behalf of Charee Stanley, a Detroit-based flight attendant for the airline headquartered in Atlanta.

The federal court case follows a discrimination complaint filed last year with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which dismissed it without determining whether the airline violated the law.

~ snip ~

22 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Muslim flight attendant sues ExpressJet over suspension (Original Post) FrodosPet Aug 2016 OP
like the sanctimonious pharmacist Skittles Aug 2016 #1
I feel like there's a fair amount of daylight bonemachine Aug 2016 #2
there are lots of jobs that don't involve serving alcohol Skittles Aug 2016 #4
What next? A librarian refusing to check out abortion books? yeoman6987 Aug 2016 #6
The airline had agreed to accomodate her bonemachine Aug 2016 #8
That's her side of the story Major Nikon Aug 2016 #14
Clearly... bonemachine Aug 2016 #15
Derp Major Nikon Aug 2016 #16
I don't bash religious people for being religious because I believe there's a Higher Power, but... cherokeeprogressive Aug 2016 #21
yeah, not much sympathy here for this flight attendant lapfog_1 Aug 2016 #3
Would your opinion change bonemachine Aug 2016 #10
No, not really. lapfog_1 Aug 2016 #13
She wasn't Muslim when they hired her so that question is irrelevant. cherokeeprogressive Aug 2016 #22
If you can't do the job, you don't belong in that type of work yeoman6987 Aug 2016 #5
Again, bonemachine Aug 2016 #9
Horrible practice if true yeoman6987 Aug 2016 #12
Also of note - they had agreed to make an exception for her bonemachine Aug 2016 #7
That's not a guarentee of an exception kiva Aug 2016 #11
That clarifies it ... she should have been suspended (or fired) etherealtruth Aug 2016 #18
OK, that was a TERRIBLE arrangement FrodosPet Aug 2016 #20
No sympathy from me. nt DLevine Aug 2016 #17
Express Jet flies short flights with one or two attendants TexasMommaWithAHat Aug 2016 #19
 

yeoman6987

(14,449 posts)
6. What next? A librarian refusing to check out abortion books?
Tue Aug 9, 2016, 07:02 PM
Aug 2016

I am sorry but do the job you voluntarily applied for.

bonemachine

(757 posts)
8. The airline had agreed to accomodate her
Tue Aug 9, 2016, 07:05 PM
Aug 2016
The airline had agreed to give Stanley a religious accommodation, saying she could work out an arrangement with the other flight attendant on duty so they could serve alcohol instead. She was suspended only after a colleague complained, said Lena Masri, an attorney with the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.


http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2015/09/08/muslim-expressjet-alcohol-flight-attendant/71865844/
 

cherokeeprogressive

(24,853 posts)
21. I don't bash religious people for being religious because I believe there's a Higher Power, but...
Tue Aug 9, 2016, 09:27 PM
Aug 2016

If your religion puts weight on my back because you can't/won't/refuse to do the job you're hired for, you fucking better believe I'm going to complain about it.

lapfog_1

(29,228 posts)
3. yeah, not much sympathy here for this flight attendant
Tue Aug 9, 2016, 06:57 PM
Aug 2016

it's not like someone is asking her to drink alcohol. Only serve it to other people that don't share her religious views. Just like asking the local bakery to make a cake for a gay wedding.

bonemachine

(757 posts)
10. Would your opinion change
Tue Aug 9, 2016, 07:08 PM
Aug 2016

if you realized that the airline had agreed to accommodate her when they hired her?

lapfog_1

(29,228 posts)
13. No, not really.
Tue Aug 9, 2016, 07:12 PM
Aug 2016

employees often have changing work assignments. And they never should have agreed to accommodate her in the first place.

 

cherokeeprogressive

(24,853 posts)
22. She wasn't Muslim when they hired her so that question is irrelevant.
Tue Aug 9, 2016, 09:38 PM
Aug 2016

"Stanley, 40, began working for ExpressJet nearly three years ago. She later converted to Islam and only learned earlier this year that her faith prohibits her both from serving alcohol and consuming it. She approached a supervisor on June 1, Masri said, and was told to work out an arrangement with other flight attendants.

"We know that this arrangement has worked beautifully and without incident and that it hasn't caused any undue burden on the airline," Masri said.

But she said a co-worker filed a complaint on Aug. 2, saying Stanley was not fulfilling her duties."


http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/09/07/muslim-flight-attendant-suspended/71852754/

 

yeoman6987

(14,449 posts)
12. Horrible practice if true
Tue Aug 9, 2016, 07:11 PM
Aug 2016

There are a lot of religions in the world and the last thing we need to accommodating every person in every religion. When would the work get done. You must see this could be a problem I hope. The colleague had every right to complain. How unfair.

bonemachine

(757 posts)
7. Also of note - they had agreed to make an exception for her
Tue Aug 9, 2016, 07:04 PM
Aug 2016
The airline had agreed to give Stanley a religious accommodation, saying she could work out an arrangement with the other flight attendant on duty so they could serve alcohol instead. She was suspended only after a colleague complained, said Lena Masri, an attorney with the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.



http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2015/09/08/muslim-expressjet-alcohol-flight-attendant/71865844/

kiva

(4,373 posts)
11. That's not a guarentee of an exception
Tue Aug 9, 2016, 07:08 PM
Aug 2016

for her, the airline said she could negotiate with other flight attendant for them to do her job - and make no mistake, that's exactly what she was asking them to do.

She needs to find a job that will not require her to do anything that conflicts with her religion.

etherealtruth

(22,165 posts)
18. That clarifies it ... she should have been suspended (or fired)
Tue Aug 9, 2016, 07:27 PM
Aug 2016

She was unable to work out out an agreeable solution with the other attendants on duty; the agreement with the airline appears to be contingent on that.

FrodosPet

(5,169 posts)
20. OK, that was a TERRIBLE arrangement
Tue Aug 9, 2016, 08:35 PM
Aug 2016

Give her a bunch of money, make her go away or give her a job where serving alcohol is not a PRIMARY task.

It is bullcrap that she can play the sky daddy card to shirk her responsibilities, offloading them on others.

Or how about this as a solution - give 25% of her pay to anyone else on her crew who has to cover her tasks?

TexasMommaWithAHat

(3,212 posts)
19. Express Jet flies short flights with one or two attendants
Tue Aug 9, 2016, 07:48 PM
Aug 2016

I can see why it would be problematic to have someone who refused to serve alcohol.

Maybe she can move up to a larger airline where she will refuse to serve ham sandwiches! She doesn't have to worry about that on those little puddle jumper flights.

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