An image of Apple’s logo captured at the Apple Store on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. Michael Kappeler/dpa/picture alliance/Getty Images/File
As stated by CNN
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a lawsuit against Apple on Tuesday, alleging that a Reston, Virginia, retail store manager made anti-Semitic remarks and denied a Jewish employee’s requests for leave before his termination.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) said that the Reston Apple Store manager told employee Tyler Steele that he smelled unpleasant, forced him to work on the Jewish Sabbath, and warned him not to discuss with colleagues Hamas’ attack on Israel in October 2023.
The federal lawsuit filed in Virginia accuses Apple of religious discrimination and retaliation in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The EEOC seeks an unspecified amount of back pay and other damages for Steele, including punitive damages for “willful and wanton conduct.”
Apple did not respond to requests for comment.
Timeline of Events and Context of the Investigation
The EEOC stated in its report that, during the administrative process, the commission highlighted systemic aspects of religious discrimination and retaliation for opposing such actions. According to the agency, the organization considers employers’ actions in the context of changes to policies and oversight of compliance with the law.
In a statement by Deputy Chair Andrea Lucas, she noted that during the Biden administration “religious protections have too often taken a back seat to woke politics.”
According to the lawsuit, Steele joined the Reston Apple Store in 2007 as an “Apple Genius,” providing consultations and technical support to customers, and in 2023 he converted to Judaism.
In the same year, a new manager was hired who denied Steele’s requests not to work on Fridays and Saturdays. The Jewish Sabbath begins at sunset on Friday and ends at sunset on Saturday.
Steele twice contacted Apple requesting that the situation be reviewed, but the manager’s behavior did not change. Steele was terminated in January 2024, a few days after his refusal to comply with the manager’s request not to work on Fridays.
“Religious protections have too often taken a back seat to woke policies.”
The lawsuit has been filed in a federal court in Virginia, and the EEOC continues to seek damages and other relief, while Apple has declined to comment.
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