Employers that require employees to attend Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings as part of rehabilitation programs must make sure they have alternatives for employees with religious objections to AA. United Airlines didn't in at least one instance, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Now the company has agreed to settle a religious discrimination lawsuit by paying the pilot it allegedly refused to accommodate $305,000. We've gathered articles on the news from SHRM Online and other outlets.
FAA Medical Certificate Lost
The pilot was diagnosed with alcohol dependency and lost his Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) medical certificate. United's program for pilots with substance abuse problems and who want to obtain new medical certificates from the FAA requires them to regularly attend AA meetings. The pilot, who is Buddhist, objected to the religious content of AA and sought to substitute regular attendance at a Buddhism-based peer support group. United declined this request and the pilot couldn't get a new FAA medical certificate permitting him to fly again.
AA Program
The AA program was a religious organization, the pilot concluded after he began attending its meetings. The program's 12 steps include giving yourself over to God or "a power greater than ourselves," and its meetings were held in a Christian church. The pilot didn't want to pledge allegiance to religious views he didn't hold in a place where he didn't feel comfortable. He...
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