The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a lawsuit against CEMEX Construction Materials Florida for allegedly forcing an Apostolic Christian employee to choose between her religious beliefs and her job when the company refused to let her wear a close-fitting skirt over her work pants.
The federal agency announced the lawsuit on June 4, charging that the construction materials manufacturer violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by denying a reasonable religious accommodation to a mixture truck driver who requested permission to wear a skirt as required by her faith.
According to the EEOC’s complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, CEMEX denied the employee’s accommodation request because of its policy against loose-fitting clothing. However, the employee wore only close-fitting skirts over her work pants and remained in compliance with company safety policies.
The company ultimately forced the employee to choose between wearing a skirt or losing her job, according to the lawsuit. When the employee chose to continue wearing the skirt to observe her religious beliefs, CEMEX terminated her employment.
Federal law requires reasonable accommodation
Title VII requires employers to reasonably accommodate employees’ religious practices unless doing so would cause undue hardship to the business. The EEOC filed the lawsuit after attempting to reach a settlement through its administrative process.
“Federal law prohibits discrimination by employers against their employees’ sincerely held religious beliefs,” said Tamra Schweiberger, director of the EEOC’s Tampa Field Office. “Employers must not make their employees choose between observing their religion and maintaining their livelihoods where, as here, there is no undue hardship to the company.”
The case marks the second religious discrimination lawsuit filed by the EEOC’s Miami District Office within a month, according to Regional Attorney Kristen Foslid.
“Employers should take notice that the EEOC will vigorously investigate, and where necessary, litigate, claims of religious discrimination in the workplace,” Foslid said.
Growing focus on religious accommodation
The lawsuit highlights the ongoing challenges employers face in balancing workplace safety policies with religious accommodation requirements. Companies must evaluate whether requested accommodations would create genuine safety risks or undue operational burdens.
The EEOC’s Miami District Office covers Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands through offices in Miami, Tampa and San Juan. The federal agency investigates and litigates employment discrimination cases against private sector employers and coordinates the government’s anti-discrimination enforcement efforts.