was her cross not to bare -- a Roman Catholic woman says she was banned from wearing her crucifix while working for Orthodox Jews at a Manhattan frame and watch wholesaler.
Jamie Errico said she was told not wear crosses to work at Concepts in Time near Herald Square - and on one occasion when she did, store owner Saul Jemal pulled her aside and told her to "remove it or tuck it under her shirt, and never wear it again," Errico charged in a discrimination suit against the store.
Jemal, the suit added, also "refused to allow plaintiff to make or sell watches with any kind of non-Jewish religious symbols."
The Manhattan Supreme Court suit accuses the store of having a double standard, noting that Jemal and the other Orthodox men all wore yarmulkes, while the women were allowed to wear Star of David necklaces.
Errico, 41, also complained that while Jewish employees were allowed to leave early on the eve of important religious holidays, she had her pay docked when she didn't work on Christmas Eve , which isn't actually a holiday.
Errico, who was fired from her sales VP job last December, is now suing the company for unspecified money damages for the alleged gender and religious discrimination.
Her lawyer, Matthew Blit, said, "Freedom of religion is a fundamental right in this country. It is illegal for an employer to discriminate on the basis of religion or deny a person a religious accommodation because they believe in a different religion."
The store didn't return a call for comment. It sued Errico earlier this year, charging she was trying to steal its client list to start a competing business. That suit, which Errico's side contends was filed in retaliation for her EEOC complaint against the business, has since been dismissed on technical grounds.
No comments:
Post a Comment