Latest news with #AndreaLucas
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Las Vegas resort settles lawsuit alleging widespread failure to accommodate religious beliefs
This story was originally published on HR Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily HR Dive newsletter. The owners of the Venetian Resort Las Vegas agreed to pay $850,000 to settle allegations by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that the resort refused to accommodate employees of diverse religious faiths, including Orthodox Christianity, Catholicism, Judaism, Jehovah's Witnesses and Buddhism, EEOC announced July 2. EEOC alleged the resort suspended, denied promotional opportunities to and discharged or constructively discharged employees as a result of denied accommodations. According to a June 26 lawsuit, EEOC v. Venetian Las Vegas Gaming, LLC, the alleged discrimination began in 2016 and violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Venetian Las Vegas Gaming purchased the resort after the charges were filed, according to EEOC. Under Title VII, employers have a broad obligation to protect 'the rights of workers in our pluralistic society to live out their various faiths in the workplace,' EEOC Acting Chair Andrea Lucas stressed in a media statement. 'As this case shows, reasonable accommodations might look like, among other things, allowing certain days off for Sabbatarians or Buddhists and allowing beards for Orthodox Christians. It also means not punishing anyone who speaks out in favor of these rights,' Lucas said. Title VII requires employers, absent undue hardship, to provide a reasonable accommodation to an employee or job applicant whose sincerely held religious belief, practice or observance conflicts with a work requirement, EEOC guidance explains. Accommodating someone usually entails making an exception or adjustment to a particular work requirement so that person can observe their practice, the guidance notes. The lawsuit in this case and the July 1 consent decree outlining the settlement's terms don't identify what accommodations were requested or should have been provided. Rather, the decree said the parties will discuss victim-specific relief, including granting a religious accommodation or modification. But employers may gain insight into possible issues by reviewing other recent cases. For example, last week, EEOC sued a Wisconsin sports park and events venue for allegedly firing an employee because he frequently posted on his personal social media account Bible verses and faith-based messages. The posts did not mention the workplace or co-workers, EEOC alleged. 'While employers must remain alert to potential harassment in the workplace, religious statements made outside of work that do not reference or impact anyone in the workplace do not constitute unlawful harassment,' Lucas stated in an agency announcement. In another example, as part of an EEOC settlement in 2022, United Airlines agreed to let a Buddhist pilot diagnosed as alcohol dependent participate in an alternative to the Alcohol Anonymous recovery program to obtain FAA medical certification so he could fly again. The AA meetings were allegedly held in churches and required acknowledgment of a 'Power greater than ourselves' and 'God' and conflicted with the pilot's Buddhist principles, EEOC said. Under the consent decree in the current case, in addition to the monetary settlement, the resort's HR and supervisory personnel must complete a minimum of two hours of compliance training. The resort must also refrain from providing employees involved in the action negative references and ensure they are not otherwise adversely affected by the action, according to the decree. Additionally, EEOC will determine who is eligible to be a claimant based on its assessment of the facts and damages under Title VII, the decree said. EEOC Regional Attorney Anna Park commended the resort for its cooperation in resolving the lawsuit early on and for 'agreeing to implement proactive measures to ensure religious accommodations are handled more effectively,' she stated in the media release. Recommended Reading US Steel evades former worker's ADA claim after judge determines it didn't know of his disability Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Miami Herald
4 days ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
Strip resort will pay six-figure settlement in religious discrimination, retaliation lawsuit
LAS VEGAS - A megaresort on the Strip agreed to pay a six-figure sum to settle a religious discrimination and retaliation lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The Venetian hotel-casino will pay $850,000 and implement "significant policy changes" via a three-year consent decree to settle the suit, the EEOC said in a news release. The federal agency said The Venetian Resort Las Vegas violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by "refusing to accommodate the sincerely held religious beliefs of a class of employees" and allegedly "retaliated against employees who opposed these acts of religious discrimination." According to the EEOC lawsuit, "in some cases denial of accommodation led to discipline, denial of promotion opportunities and discharge or constructive discharge." "We are aware of the lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The complaint was procedural in nature as the parties have already reached a voluntary resolution in the matter, with no admission of liability or wrongdoing," a Venetian spokesperson said Thursday. Anna Park, regional attorney for the EEOC's Los Angeles District, whose jurisdiction includes Las Vegas, commended The Venetian for "their cooperation in the early resolution of this lawsuit and agreeing to implement proactive measures to ensure religious accommodation requests are handled more effectively." "The law protects the rights of workers in our pluralistic society to live out their various faiths in the workplace," said EEOC Acting Chair Andrea Lucas. "As this case shows, reasonable accommodation might look like, among other things, allowing certain days off for Sabbatarians or Buddhists and allowing beards for Orthodox Christians. It also means not punishing anyone who speaks out in favor of these rights." The Venetian will pay the six-figure sum as well as provide additional training for employees, managers and supervisors on employee rights and the obligations of employers when it comes to religious accommodations under Title VII. The decree also requires The Venetian to hire an independent third party to help review and update its religious accommodation policies and complaint procedures, and to keep track of whether the company is following the rules during the 36 months the decree is in effect. The Venetian is owned by VICI Properties Inc., a real estate investment trust, and operated by Apollo Global Management Inc., a New York City-based investment firm. Apollo and VICI purchased The Venetian, the Palazzo hotel-casino and The Venetian Expo for $6.25 billion in 2022 from the Las Vegas Sands Corp. The charges of discrimination and retaliation that prompted the EEOC lawsuit were filed with the agency prior to the 2022 sale. The settlement amount is being paid by the current operators of The Venetian. The aggrieved employees who filed complaints with the EEOC belonged to diverse faiths, including but not limited to, Orthodox Christianity, Catholicism, Judaism, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Buddhism, according to the lawsuit. The EEOC filed its lawsuit in June in U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada "following a lengthy voluntary pre-litigation mediation process after a resolution could not be achieved through the agency's conciliation process," the release said. ___ Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Washington Post
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
A judge resisted Trump's order on gender identity. The EEOC just fired her
The federal agency charged with protecting workers' civil rights has terminated a New York administrative judge who opposed White House directives , including President Donald Trump's executive order decreeing male and female as two 'immutable' sexes . In February, Administrative Judge Karen Ortiz, who worked in the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's New York office, called Trump's order 'unethical' and criticized Acting Chair Andrea Lucas — Trump's pick to lead the agency — for complying with it by pausing work on legal cases involving discrimination claims from transgender workers. In an email copied to more than 1,000 colleagues, Ortiz pressed Lucas to resign.
Associated Press
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
A judge resisted Trump's order on gender identity. The EEOC just fired her
The federal agency charged with protecting workers' civil rights has terminated a New York administrative judge who opposed White House directives, including President Donald Trump's executive order decreeing male and female as two 'immutable' sexes. In February, Administrative Judge Karen Ortiz, who worked in the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's New York office, called Trump's order 'unethical' and criticized Acting Chair Andrea Lucas — Trump's pick to lead the agency — for complying with it by pausing work on legal cases involving discrimination claims from transgender workers. In an email copied to more than 1,000 colleagues, Ortiz pressed Lucas to resign. Ortiz was fired on Tuesday after being placed on administrative leave last month. The EEOC declined Wednesday to comment on the termination, saying it does not comment on personnel matters. In response to the president's order declaring two unchangeable sexes, the EEOC moved to drop at least seven of its pending legal cases on behalf of transgender workers who filed discrimination complaints. The agency, which enforces U.S. workplace anti-discrimination laws, also is classifying all new gender identity-related cases as its lowest priority. The actions signaled a major departure from the EEOC's prior interpretation of civil rights law. In her mass February email criticizing the agency's efforts to comply with Trump's order, Ortiz told Lucas, 'You are not fit to be our chair much less hold a license to practice law.' The letter was leaked on Reddit, where it gained more than 10,000 'upvotes.' Many users cheered its author. The EEOC subsequently revoked her email privileges for about a week and issued her a written reprimand for 'discourteous conduct.' Ortiz said she continued to 'raise the alarm' about the agency's treatment of transgender and gender nonconforming complainants, and convey her opposition to the agency's actions. She sent an April 24 email to Lucas and several other internal email groups with the subject line, 'If You're Seeking Power, Here's Power' and a link to Tears for Fears' 1985 hit 'Everybody Wants to Rule the World.' She contested her proposed termination earlier this month, arguing in a document submitted by a union representative that she was adhering to her oath of office by calling out behavior she believes is illegal. Ortiz 'views the Agency's actions regarding LGBTQIA+ complainants to have made the EEOC a hostile environment for LGBTQIA+ workers,' and believes that leadership has 'abandoned the EEOC's core mission,' the document says. The judge was hired to work at the EEOC during the first Trump administration, and while she disagreed with some policies then, 'she did not take any action because there was no ostensible illegality which compelled her to do so,' the document stated. 'What is happening under the current administration is unprecedented.' The letter requested the withdrawal of Ortiz's proposed termination, the removal of all disciplinary documents from her personnel file, and that Ortiz be allowed 'to continue doing her job.' The six-page termination notice came anyway. In it, Chief Administrative Judge Regina Stephens called Ortiz' actions 'distasteful and unprofessional,' and concluded that Ortiz's 'work performance is affected' by her disagreements with the current executive orders and direction of EEOC leadership. The notice also alleged that media circulation of Ortiz's emails had 'affected the reputation and credibility of the Agency.' It cited an Associated Press article that quoted Ortiz saying she stood by her email statements as evidence that her behavior would not change with 'rehabilitation.' In a Wednesday phone interview with The Associated Press, Ortiz said the news of her termination is 'very sad,' although not surprising. 'I think the agency has now become something that, I don't know if I'd even really want to work there anymore. They've lost their way,' she said. Lucas defended her decision to drop lawsuits on behalf of transgender workers during her confirmation hearing before a Senate committee last week. She acknowledged that transgender workers are protected under civil rights laws but said her agency is not independent and must comply with presidential orders. Ortiz said she traveled from New York to Washington 'on my own dime, on my own time' to attend the hearing. 'I needed to be there,' she said, adding that she left thank-you notes for Senators who 'put Andrea Lucas' feet to the fire.' Ortiz said she isn't sure what comes next for her, only that it will involve fighting for civil rights. And in the short-term, picking up more volunteer dog walking shifts. 'I will keep fighting for the LGBTQ community in whatever way I can,' she told AP. She added: 'It takes courage to take a stand, and be willing to be fired, and lose a six-figure job, and health insurance, and the prestige of the title of 'judge,' but I think it'll also serve an example to future lawyers and young lawyers out there that a job title isn't everything, and it's more important to stay true to your values.' ________ The Associated Press' women in the workforce and state government coverage receives financial support from Pivotal Ventures. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
Al Arabiya
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Civil Rights Agency's Acting Chief to Face Questions on Anti-DEI, Transgender Stances
The acting chief of the country's top agency for enforcing worker rights faced questions at a Senate committee hearing Wednesday over her efforts to prioritize anti-diversity investigations while sidelining certain racial and gender discrimination cases and quashing protections for transgender workers. Andrea Lucas, who was first appointed to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in 2020 and elevated to acting chief in January, is one of four Labor Department nominees to appear before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. Her nomination to serve another five-year term as an EEOC commissioner requires Senate confirmation, though whether she stays on as chief will be up to President Donald Trump. Lucas, an outspoken critic of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices and promoter of the idea that there are only two immutable sexes, has moved swiftly to enact Trump's civil rights agenda after he abruptly fired two of the EEOC's Democratic commissioners before the end of their five-year terms – an unprecedented move in the agency's 60-year history that has been challenged in a lawsuit. Lucas is prioritizing worker rights that conservatives argue have been ignored by the EEOC. That includes investigating company DEI practices, defending the rights of women to same-sex spaces, and fighting anti-Christian bias in the workplace. Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, chairman of the Senate committee holding the hearing, has championed many of those causes. He accused the EEOC under the Biden administration of injecting its 'far-left agenda' into the workplace, including by updating sexual harassment guidelines to warn against misgendering transgender workers and including abortion as a pregnancy-related condition under regulations for the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. Questioning the EEOC's independence, Democrats on the committee are likely to grill Lucas over criticism that she overstepped her authority by profoundly shifting the EEOC's direction to the whims of the president in the absence of a quorum, which commission has lacked since Trump fired the two commissioners. Sen. Patty Murray, a member of the committee, said she will oppose any EEOC nominations unless Trump reinstates the two fired Democratic commissioners, which she and more than 200 other Democratic senators and Congress members condemned in a letter to the president as an 'abuse of power.' 'President Trump is weaponizing the independent EEOC to serve his personal political agenda, firing commissioners without cause and warping the mission of the EEOC beyond recognition,' Murray said in a statement ahead of the hearing. 'Commissioner Lucas is a right-wing extremist who has been in lockstep behind Trump's pro-discrimination agenda.' Lucas has made clear her views of the limitations of the EEOC's autonomy. In a recent memo to employers, Lucas declared that the EEOC is 'an executive branch agency, not an independent agency,' that will 'fully and robustly comply with all executive orders.' That includes two orders that Trump signed in January: one directing federal agencies to eliminate their own DEI activities and end any equity-related grants or contracts, and the other imposing a certification provision on all companies and institutions with government contracts or grant dollars to demonstrate that they don't operate DEI programs. The EEOC's new approach alarmed more than 30 civil rights groups, which sent a letter to the Senate committee demanding that Lucas face a hearing. The groups argued that the EEOC was created by Congress under 1964 Civil Rights Act to be a bipartisan agency that would function independently from the executive branch. The EEOC, the only federal agency empowered to investigate employment discrimination in the private sector, received more than 88,000 charges of workplace discrimination in fiscal year 2024. Its commissioners are appointed by the president to staggered terms, and no more than three can be from the same party. Much of the EEOC's authority is granted by Congress, including the obligation to investigate all complaints and enact regulations for implementing some laws. Under Lucas, the EEOC dropped seven of its own lawsuits on behalf of transgender or nonbinary workers. It also moved to drop a racial discrimination case on behalf of Black, Native American, and multiracial job applicants after Trump ordered federal agencies to stop pursuing discrimination that falls under 'disparate impact' liability, which aims to identify practices that systematically exclude certain demographic groups. Instead, Lucas has turned the EEOC's attention to investigating company DEI practices. In her most high-profile move, she sent letters to 20 law firms demanding information about diversity fellowships and other programs she claimed could be evidence of discriminatory practices. Lucas has also repeatedly encouraged workers nationwide to come forward with DEI complaints. She launched a hotline for whistleblowers and said workers should be encouraged to report 'bad DEI practices' after a Supreme Court decision made it easier for white and other non-minority workers to bring reverse-discrimination lawsuits.
