Workplace Religious Freedom Act Introduced in Congress

A New legislation that would make it easier for employees to observe their religion was introduced in the Congress last month. The Workplace Religious Freedom Act calls for employers to accommodate their employee’s religious practices as long as that doesn’t represent a significant hardship for the business.

This comes amid recent clashes of workplace and religion in Minnesota. A Muslim cashier at Target refused to ring up pork products for customers, while some Muslim cabdrivers wouldn’t transport customers with alcohol.

According to MPR, supporters of the bill include the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations, who told MPR that “the state of federal law is that if an employer would have even a minimal inconvenience in accommodating an employee’s religious needs, the employer does not have to accommodate those religious needs. So the Workplace Religious Freedom Act or WRFA is designed to reinstate the original congressional strength of that provision of the Civil Rights Act.”

Opponents of the bill, including the American Civil Liberties Union and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, say the bill would cause undue harm to businesses.