Convergys Settles EEOC Suit for Religious Discrimination

The  U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is responsible for enforcing federal laws against employment discrimination, and reminded Convergys that religious discrimination is not tolerated.

Convergys Customer Management Group, a subsidiary of the Cincinnati-based Convergys Corp., which is a global provider of customer management services, will pay $15,000 and furnish other relief to settle a religious discrimination lawsuit the EEOC filed last March against the company.

The EEOC charged Convergys with violating federal law by refusing to hire a call center job applicant who could not work on Saturdays due to his religious beliefs.

Hazelwood Patch previously reported that according to the EEOC’s suit, Shannon Fantroy answered an online advertisement for a customer service position at Convergys’s call center in Hazelwood. According to the suit, Fantroy’s religious beliefs as a Hebrew Israelite require him to observe the Sabbath from sunup until sundown on Saturday.

A Convergys recruiter interviewed Fantroy and told him that he would have to work weekends. Fantroy informed the recruiter that he was unable to work on Saturdays due to his religious beliefs. The recruiter then told Fantroy that the interview was over unless he could work Saturdays.

“Mr. Fantroy never had a chance to discuss accommodation options because the recruiter simply cut him off once he stated that because of his religious beliefs he could not work on Saturday,” said Barbara A. Seely, regional attorney for the EEOC's St. Louis District Office, in a statement. “Giving an employee an alternate schedule where hundreds of employees are available to cover the shift was not an unreasonable request.”

Religious discrimination in the workplace is prohibited by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and employers are required to make reasonable accommodations to employees’ and applicants’ sincerely held religious beliefs as long as this does not pose an undue hardship. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. Convergys Customer Management Group, 4:11-cv-00395-AGF) after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.

"The settlement announced (February 16) is in no way an admission of any wrongdoing or violations by Convergys, but instead represents a decision by Convergys to amicably resolve this matter and to avoid protracted litigation regarding this issue," said Amy Williams, senior manager in public relations at Convergys Corp., in a statement. "Convergys corporate policy is to operate in full compliance with all applicable federal and state employment discrimination laws."

The consent decree settling the lawsuit must be approved by U.S. District Court Judge Audrey Fleissig.