By Okon Ekpenyong
On October 6, 2023, over 65 workers at Macy’s Distribution Center in Columbus protested over the company’s prayer policy. The workers felt that their right to practice their religion was being violated. The company has since reached an agreement with the workers, and they returned to work on October 13, a week after they walked off the job.
Before the resolution, a new policy in September stipulated that employees could pray during their half-hour lunch break. Previously, they had the option of praying three times during their shift if they worked 12 hours without taking a break.
Ohio State Rep. Ismail Mohamed expressed his appreciation for Macy’s willingness to work with the employees to find a solution that respects their right to pray while not jeopardizing their employment. He also promised to continue to monitor the situation and provide assistance to the workers in any way he could after meeting 17 of those workers earlier recently.
The protesters argued that the policy violated their rights to freedom of religion and speech. They walked out, saying that the policy forced them to choose between their faith and their job. The workers, many Somali American Muslims, argued they were not given adequate time for their religious practices.
“My office spoke with Macy’s VP of government relations. They relayed all the alleged concerns and the importance of ensuring that the right to “reasonable accommodations” at work is adhered to. We had a long and constructive discussion”, said Rep Mohamed.
“We then met with the employees earlier today and reassured them that all issues will be dealt with and that Macy’s reaffirms their commitment to creating an environment that respects their employee’s faith needs. I sincerely appreciate the prompt response. Macy’s advisory was provided to the employees, who were satisfied with it”.
The Representative thanked CAIR-Ohio, Abdi Ali Afgaab, Kawther H Musa, Abdi Aden, and Ahmed Hussein for their help with this effort.
After negotiations, Macy’s agreed to change the approach to allow more flexibility for workers to pray during their work hours.
Support the New Americans magazine to continue to serve our community with precise news that affect the new American, immigrant and refugee community. https://paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=8LHFS78NRNJJY&source=url
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.