EEOC Charges FCA with Firing Worker for Practicing His Faith

DETROIT – FCA US, LLC, an international automobile manufacturer of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram and Fiat car brands, violated federal law by refusing to accommodate an employee’s request to observe the Sabbath and take unpaid leave for Passover, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit announced today.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, FCA initially allowed the employee a religious accommodation which excused him from working during the Jewish Sabbath. However, FCA management decided to revoke the accommodation. The employee was able to obtain a position and schedule that did not conflict with his observance of the Jewish Sabbath. Yet, two months later, FCA instituted mandatory Saturday work, which conflicted with the employee’s religious beliefs. Instead of engaging with the employee and providing a reasonable religious accommodation, FCA disciplined him for attendance violations for not working during the Sabbath. The employee complained of FCA’s discriminatory actions, but FCA continued to issue him attendance violations for not working during the Sabbath. 

“The EEOC will hold employers accountable for violations of Title VII’s religious protections,” said EEOC Acting Chair Andrea Lucas. “Employees have a right to request reasonable religious accommodations without fear of punishment or termination. Firing someone for asserting those rights violates federal civil rights laws.”

The employee filed a charge of discrimination against FCA. Three months later, FCA denied the employee’s request to be excused from work for two days, without pay, to observe Passover. Because the employee chose to observe Passover rather than work, FCA disciplined him for more attendance violations, then fired him.

Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination or retaliation because of an individual’s religion and requires employers to reasonably accommodate an employee’s religious observance or practice unless doing so would cause an undue hardship. Retaliation against an employee for complaining about discrimination is also against federal law. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. FCA US, LLC, Case No. 25-cv-11675) in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process.

For more information on religious discrimination, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/religious-discrimination. For more information on retaliation, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/retaliation.

The lawsuit was initiated by the EEOC’s Detroit Field Office, one of four component offices of the agency’s Indianapolis District Office. The Indianapolis District Office has jurisdiction over Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and part of Ohio.

The EEOC is the sole federal agency authorized to investigate and litigate against businesses and other private sector employers for violations of federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. For public sector employers, the EEOC shares jurisdiction with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division; the EEOC is responsible for investigating charges against state and local government employers before referring them to DOJ for potential litigation. The EEOC also is responsible for coordinating the federal government’s employment antidiscrimination effort. More information about the EEOC is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.