Mavis Tire to Pay $303,758 for Religious Discrimination and Retaliation

NEW YORK – Mavis Tire Supply LLC, a nationwide tire dealer and automotive service provider based in White Plains, New York, entered into a conciliation agreement with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to resolve a religious discrimination and retaliation charge, the federal agency announced today.

The EEOC’s investigation found reasonable cause to believe that Mavis Tire failed to hire an applicant for a managerial position in the Central New York region because, during his interview, he requested Friday evenings and Saturdays off to observe the Sabbath. The EEOC’s investigation also concluded that the company then offered him a job as a tire technician, a lower position with a more flexible schedule, but retracted it after the applicant reiterated his request for a religious accommodation.

“For more than sixty years, the Commission has enforced Title VII, including its core promise to defend religious liberty in the workplace,” said EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas. “Over the past year, under the Trump Administration and my leadership, the agency has renewed its commitment to enforcing the law as written — so that no American is forced to choose between their faith and their livelihood.”

Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits religious discrimination as well as retaliation against employees or applicants for complaining about such discrimination.

Following the EEOC’s investigation, the parties engaged in the EEOC’s pre-litigation conciliation process, resulting in a settlement requiring Mavis Tire to provide back pay, front pay and compensatory damages. In addition, the tire retailer agreed to revise its written policies about religious accommodation, provide training for its managerial retail employees in the Central New York area, and require training for certain human resources employees involved in the hiring and/or religious accommodation request process nationally. Management at Mavis also agreed to post a notice highlighting the resolution of this matter and the laws enforced by the EEOC, and report on any internal complaints of religious discrimination or retaliation to the EEOC.

“We commend Mavis for their commitment to complying with Title VII’s requirement to accommodate job applicants’ and employees’ sincerely held religious beliefs and practices,” said Arlean Nieto, acting director of the EEOC’s New York District Office. “Employers cannot refuse to hire a job applicant to avoid granting a request for a religious accommodation. Employers need to take reasonable efforts to accommodate an employee’s sincerely held religious belief, unless such an accommodation would pose an undue hardship.”

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

The EEOC’s New York District Office has jurisdiction over New York, northern New Jersey, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

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.