Both federal, and California and Nevada state laws help protect the rights of workers from various forms of discrimination. Your employer shouldn’t make hiring, firing, promotion or termination decisions based on protected characteristics like race, sex, or age. Your faith or religious beliefs are also a protected characteristic.
Your employer should not discriminate against you because of your religion or consider your faith when making any employment decisions. So, if you belong to a faith that requires that you attend religious services on the weekends or that you take a day of rest, can your employer fire you for refusing to work on a Sunday?
Religious issues can be complicated in the workplace
In theory, workers have a strong right to protection from discrimination based on their religious beliefs. If you ask for holy days off, your employers should do their best to accommodate you. The same is true if you need to take one day off for weekly religious observances.
However, if your refusal to work on Sundays constitutes an undue hardship for the company, then they don’t have to accommodate you. In other words, if it will cause more than minor inconvenience for the business and might affect its operations or income, the company can deny your request for religious accommodations and can take disciplinary action against you.
Were you the subject of religious discrimination at work?
Reviewing the circumstances that led to your firing and the scope of the company can give you a better idea about whether the business discriminated against you because of your religion. Experienced legal guidance can help you determine your next move.