Employees fired for not joining Christian prayer

Two employees of a North Carolina-based company allege that they were fired after refusing to participate in the company's daily Christian prayer meetings which they said went against their religious beliefs. As a result, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has filed a lawsuit against the company with the US District Court in Greensboro seeking a jury trial. 

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of John McGaha, a construction manager at Aurora Pro Services, and Mackenzie Saunders a customer services representative at the Greensboro Residential Services company. The plaintiffs are represented by Mary Kate Littlejohn, a Greenville, South Carolina Attorney. In the lawsuit, EEOC mentions that daily prayer meetings were part of the firm's business model although there is no mention of such activities on their website. Attendance at the prayer meetings was mandatory for all employees and considered a condition of their employment regardless of their personal beliefs or affiliations. The complaint also highlights instances where prayers were requested and offered "for poor-performing employees who were identified by name". The company owner took attendance at such meetings and reprimanded employees who didn't attend. 

McGahan joined the company in June 2020 and identifies himself as an atheist. He said that the prayer meetings which initially lasted for 15 minutes stretched in length to around 45 minutes. Saunders who joined Aurora in November 2020 identifies herself as an agnostic and corroborated this statement. The longer the prayer the more intolerable it became. McGahan was once even asked to lead a Christian prayer which he refused. After asking the owner constantly to be rescued from such meetings McGahan was fired when he refused to attend. His base pay was reduced to $400 from $800 and his commission was withheld. Soon after, in January 2021 Saunders refused to attend the meetings as well and was fired. 

The lawsuit also urges a permanent injunction to prevent the company from engaging in such employment practices that discriminate on the basis of religion. 

Source: The Washington Post