In early August, 2011, CAIR-WA received a call from an employee of a valet parking company in the Seattle area, requesting assistance in getting time off for Jum'ah, or Friday prayer.
The employee had been working with the same valet company for four years and had previously been accommodated for Friday prayer by getting a one hour break Friday afternoons. However, in 2010, a new supervisor was appointed. The new supervisor allowed the employee to take one hour off on Fridays until May 2011, when the valet company was especially busy. From May to August 2011, the employee had not been given any time off for prayer on Friday afternoons and thus, was forced to skip congregational prayers.
In an attempt to get time off for Jum'ah during Ramadan, the employee addressed his concern with his supervisor and explained that he was requesting accommodations for a religious practice. The supervisor offered to give the employee a one hour break every day of the week, in which case the employee would lose his benefits as he was no longer employed full time. Alternatively, the supervisor offered to transfer the employee to a different site where he would have a schedule that would accommodate Friday prayer. However, this transfer would also result in a pay deduction of almost four dollars per hour.
On August 12, 2011, CAIR-Washington Civil Rights Coordinator Jennifer Gist sent a letter to the CEO of the parking company that employs this man. In the letter, CAIR-WA demanded that the employee be accommodated for Jum'ah by getting at least a one-hour break on Friday afternoons and that the employee's benefits be reinstated.
As a solution, CAIR-WA suggested that the employee work an hour later on Fridays to compensate for the hour-long break. In late August, the employee called CAIR-WA to state that his benefits had been reinstated and he was given time off on Friday afternoons for Jum'ah.
However, a week later the employee called again stating that though Human Resources had approved the accommodation, the employee's supervisor was only allowing him to take time off for Jum'ah if the schedule "wasn't too busy.
Jennifer followed up with a phone call to the company's human resources representative, who promised to promptly resolve the issue. The employee has been enjoying attending Jum'ah and getting his benefits ever since.
