New York City Religious Discrimination Lawyers

A central principle of our Nation from its very inception has been respect for freedom of religion. In today's society, it is nearly universally recognized that one should not be refused employment opportunities because of one's religious beliefs or practices. Unfortunately, some employers do not respect the diverse mosaic of faiths in this country and discriminate against employees on the basis of religion. At Cary Kane LLP, our attorneys are available to aggressively pursue claims based on religious discrimination under federal, state and local law.

Below is a brief discussion about various laws prohibiting religious discrimination in the workplace. If you believe you have been discriminated against because of your faith, contact a New York religious discrimination lawyer at Cary Kane LLP today to schedule an initial consultation.

Relevant Laws

Employment discrimination based on religion is prohibited under Federal, State, and Local Law. Under Federal Law, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits religious discrimination in employment. The law allows the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to investigate charges of religious discrimination and also allows individuals to bring religious discrimination claims against employers in federal court.

New York State and New York City's human rights laws also prohibit religious discrimination in employment. In some cases, the state and local laws are more expansive in that they apply to any employer with four or more employees (Title VII only applies to employers with fifteen or more employees). As discussed below, the state and local laws may also provide protection against a broader array of conduct by the employer.

Illegal Conduct

Religious discrimination in employment can take different forms. In the most obvious case, an employer will fire, refuse to hire, or refuse to promote an individual because of his or her religious beliefs. But the law prohibits other conduct as well. For instance, a person who is being interviewed for a job cannot be asked about his or her religious beliefs, as this cannot be one of the criteria used for a hiring decision. Employees also cannot be forced to take part in any sort of religious ceremony or celebration, and any decisions regarding duties, promotions, income or any other factor that would substantially affect the scope of a person's work cannot be made based on that person's religious beliefs. In addition, both New York State and New York City law require an employer to allow an employee to take days off in observance of a Sabbath or other Holy Day (although the day off may be without pay, and the employer may require the employee to make up the time at a later date).

If you have suffered employment discrimination because of your religious beliefs, contact a New York City religious discrimination lawyer at Cary Kane LLP today to schedule an initial consultation.