Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm going to throw this out there about co-workers covering for someone else.
What about pregnant women? I used to work in a bank in the vault area with several other women. We had to lift heavy boxes of coin and bags of currency on a daily basis. Several women became pregnant while working in the vault and the result was always for about 8 months of their 9 month pregnancy, all they did was sit around and do nothing. They couldn't lift anything, they couldn't push anything, they couldn't pull anything, and naturally, by the end of their pregnancies, none of them could bend over and pick anything up.
The result was that we had two employees in the vault, both of them drawing salary but only one of them working and that person working was doing her job and the job of her pregnant co-worker, but still only getting paid her regular salary.
Talk about the Islamic attendant who can't do her own job and everyone says she should be fired. Talk about the pregnant woman who can't do her own job while pregnant and watch the excuses fly.
Personally, I feel if a company can work around a special needs employee (which is what they are) and it isn't a problem to others, fine. But most of the time, I feel like everyone else here. If you can't do the job, quit. Or take a substantial wage cut. I know sometimes jobs change and rules change, but that's life. If I worked where I had never had to lift heavy boxes before and all of a sudden my company was sold to someone who made lifting heavy boxes part of my job description, I'd either have to lift them or quit. That's the way it goes, whether you're a Muslim or a Christian or a Jew or a striped hamster. Do the job or get out.
Somewhat different, but the principal before me, one day, needed some furniture moved by a custodian. A woman custodian was there, but the principal said, "We need a male custodian to move furniture." I said, "You can't do that. Their job descriptions are exactly the same." So the principal called the central office that covered that type of thing and they said that, indeed, there are not different roles for male and female custodians.
The time that we had a problem was when a female faculty member who had had a baby, returned to work and wanted one faculty room locked except for her use to pump her breasts for milk. We got a ruling on that, too. Answer: it could be reserved for that purpose twice a day for 30 minutes, but that all faculty members could use the room any other time.
I'm all for making reasonable accommodations, but everyone knows that stewards and stewardesses have to serve alcohol. I'm sure it's stated or implied in the job description.
When I applied for jobs, I knew what the job description was. If the description had included things I couldn't abide by, I wouldn't have applied.
She can apply for other jobs with airlines and not have to serve alcohol.
It's Flight Attendant not steward/stewardess. It's insulting to them.
It isn't as easy as applying for other jobs.
It takes tremendous training to be a pilot.
It takes tremendous training to be a mechanic.
Tossing bags is a big demotion.
Gate agent positions are extremely difficult to come by. There is usually a lot of nepotism involved and extreme competition. It's actually easier to become an FA than a Gate Agent.
Just because you are a FA employed by an airline doesn't mean you can job hop within the company.
Different areas, different unions.
I've got a lot of family that works for Delta and US Airways.
I'm going to throw this out there about co-workers covering for someone else.
What about pregnant women? I used to work in a bank in the vault area with several other women. We had to lift heavy boxes of coin and bags of currency on a daily basis. Several women became pregnant while working in the vault and the result was always for about 8 months of their 9 month pregnancy, all they did was sit around and do nothing. They couldn't lift anything, they couldn't push anything, they couldn't pull anything, and naturally, by the end of their pregnancies, none of them could bend over and pick anything up.
The result was that we had two employees in the vault, both of them drawing salary but only one of them working and that person working was doing her job and the job of her pregnant co-worker, but still only getting paid her regular salary.
Talk about the Islamic attendant who can't do her own job and everyone says she should be fired. Talk about the pregnant woman who can't do her own job while pregnant and watch the excuses fly.
Personally, I feel if a company can work around a special needs employee (which is what they are) and it isn't a problem to others, fine. But most of the time, I feel like everyone else here. If you can't do the job, quit. Or take a substantial wage cut. I know sometimes jobs change and rules change, but that's life. If I worked where I had never had to lift heavy boxes before and all of a sudden my company was sold to someone who made lifting heavy boxes part of my job description, I'd either have to lift them or quit. That's the way it goes, whether you're a Muslim or a Christian or a Jew or a striped hamster. Do the job or get out.
The situation with the pregnant women is temporary though. They will eventually come back to work and do their share, hopefully. This flight attendant was asking for others do do her share permanently.
I do believe that those who had to cover for the pregnant women at your job should have been compensated for the extra work they had to do or that someone should have been hired to help out. Also, if the pregnant women could not work at any job for a long period of time, they should not have been sitting around doing nothing and getting paid for it. If they are going to show up for work, they should work.
I have been in that situation myself as an office worker covering for those on maternity leave and had to work a lot of OT to get their work done in their absence. It also meant giving up lunch hours and breaks sometimes because customers don't care that your staff is shorthanded.
It wasn't fair at all but the one consolation was that it was temporary. I do agree though, that asking for special consideration, especially on a permanent basis so that others must do your work for any reason is not right. I have worked with physically disabled people who never asked for special consideration. Why should those who are able-bodied and can do the work get special privileges because of personal beliefs that do not belong on the job in the first place?
I'm all for making reasonable accommodations, but everyone knows that stewards and stewardesses have to serve alcohol. I'm sure it's stated or implied in the job description.
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission - Religious Discrimination & Reasonable Accommodation
The law requires an employer or other covered entity to reasonably accommodate an employee's religious beliefs or practices, unless doing so would cause more than a minimal burden on the operations of the employer's business. This means an employer may be required to make reasonable adjustments to the work environment that will allow an employee to practice his or her religion.
Examples of some common religious accommodations include flexible scheduling, voluntary shift substitutions or swaps, job reassignments, and modifications to workplace policies or practices.
The reasonable accommodation had not only been granted but came at the suggestion of her employer, i.e., that another flight attendant could serve alcohol. ExpressJet is going to have a very hard time demonstrating a undue burden to their business operation and I might add, that then the complaint from her co-worker is entered into the complaint the ability to defend against religious animus is going to be even harder to defend.
I understand the spirit of equal employment opportunity, but it seems like a system destined for problems like this. To me, employers should be able to hire whoever they want for whatever reasons they want, but maybe that's too radical? If you're offended by someone's hiring practices then don't support their business.
I support companies accommodating people regarding their religion as long as it doesn't interrupt their business in terms of quality or service, and I support the government accommodating the religions of its workers as long as it doesn't inconvenience citizens or deprive citizens of their rights. Beyond that, if you know what the job requires or if you change your beliefs after accepting the job, that's on you.
I'm an atheist, so I don't have a "faith" that prevents me from doing anything. However, I do have a strong moral structure. If my job changed require me to do something I strongly opposed or my own values changed due to new information and my job was not in keeping with those new values, I would either have to just cope or resign if my company could not accommodate me without damaging their business. That's a reality I've accepted from the time I was a small child.
Recall the FA walking down with a cart of beverages....soft drinks, Alcohol, nuts.
There was two FA and they divided the seats while one was starting at the front and the other in the middle to the rear of the plane.
On another matter did know three FA in another country airlines that would fly a schedule of 30 days going from home base to another city and returning....same thing for a month before going to another route with again a 30 day schedule.
I remember the guy telling me that he was going to LA tomorrow and did I need anything from there.
Any employee who refuses to perform any job function should be fired, or if said job was the result of an election, either they must comply , resign, or properly rot in jail.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
