Written by Don Byrd
It’s kind of a slow news day heading into the Democratic National Convention, so a good day to pass along news from last week that slipped through the cracks. On August 28, the California State Senate passed the Workplace Religious Freedom Act, sending it on to Governor Jerry Brown for his signature by an overwhelming 32-4 margin. The bill provides needed protections for workers of all faiths.
New America Media’s EthnoBlog reports on the measure:
The Act would specifies that religious clothing and hairstyles qualify as a religious belief or observance, and that segregating an employee from customers or the public is not a reasonable accommodation of an employee’s religious beliefs.
Sure, there are federal laws that make workplace discrimination illegal. The1964 Civil Rights Act for one; the Fair Employment Housing Act, for another. AB 1964 – the Workplace Religious Freedom Act — will lend more teeth to them.
Governor Brown has until September 30 to sign the bill.
