A change in policy has Muslim workers upset at an equipment manufacturing plant based in Brillion, Wisconsin, according to The Blaze.
Ariens Manufacturing announced a change to their policy allowing for Muslim workers to take a five-minute break twice a day for prayer to meet the requirement of their faith to pray five times per day. The company’s new policy asks their Muslim workers to pray during scheduled meal times, and the employees are pushing back.
According to the article, there are 53 employees at the firm that are affected by the policy change, and only 10 have said they will continue to work at the plant in light of the new regulations.
Ariens released a statement saying, “We are asking employees to pray during scheduled breaks in designated prayer rooms. Our manufacturing environment does not allow for unscheduled breaks in production.”
The company added they respected the faith of its workers, and they respected their decision even if it means they choose not to return to work at the facility. The management says employees are welcome to come back to work at the plant providing they will abide by the policy rules in force, or if they can choose a shift that does not interfere with their prayer times.
The Muslim employees say it goes against their faith to pray at meal times, because it does not align with the prescribed times for prayer and invocations. Many of the workers say they were served with unemployment papers if they said they would not comply with the new regulations.
The Equal Opportunity Employment Commission states, “an employer does not have to accommodate an employee’s religious beliefs or practices if doing so would cause undue hardship to the employer… [such as] decreased efficiency”, according to an article on wbay.com, a Green Bay television station.
Supporters of the Muslims impacted by the new regulation fear they will not be able to find work in the area and will be forced to move away, but Ariens says they are offering to assist the employees to find positions on other shifts that might better accommodate their prayer obligations.