Muslim flight attendant files EEOC complaint, says she was suspended for refusing to serve alcohol
A Muslim flight attendant has filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that alleges she was suspended for refusing to serve alcohol, even though her employer had previously agreed to an accommodation.
Lawyers for flight attendant Charee Stanley filed the EEOC complaint last week, report Michigan Radio, the Associated Press, the Washington Post and CNN.
Stanley worked for Express Jet. She says she asked her supervisor for an accommodation June 1 and was told to coordinate with other flight attendants to serve alcohol when passengers requested it. The arrangement worked until another flight attendant filed a complaint alleging that Stanley wasn’t fulfilling her duties, was wearing a head scarf, and had a book with “foreign writings,” the EEOC complaint alleges.
The airline told Stanley in an Aug. 25 letter that it was revoking the accommodation and placing her on unpaid leave for a year, her lawyers say. After the period ends, Stanley could be fired, airline officials allegedly said.
An Express Jet spokesperson told CNN and AP that it respects the values of all team members and has a long history of diversity, but it could not comment on Stanley’s case.
