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Cargill, Teamsters union violated Muslim workers’ civil rights in dispute over workplace prayer, federal agency rules

A Fort Morgan meatpacking plant and the employee union that represented its workers violated Muslim workers’ civil rights in a dispute over prayer breaks, a federal agency that enforces U.S. anti-discrimination laws in the workplace has determined.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission invited Cargill Meatpacking Solutions and Teamsters Local No. 455 to participate in mediation to resolve the discrimination complaint, according to a copy of an Aug. 3 letter signed by Elizabeth Cadle, district director of the EEOC’s Denver office. A resolution could involve paying the workers lost wages, restoring their benefits, returning them to their jobs, and awarding the workers money to punish the company and the union.

The EEOC ruled in favor of 130 employees who filed complaints against Cargill and in favor of 20 workers who filed complaints against the Teamsters, said Qusair Mohamedbhai, who represented the Somali workers.

Click here to read this arti­cle in its entirety at The Denver Post