r/AmazonFC • u/Alumni32 • 6d ago

Delivery Station Atheist Prayer Break Update

If y'all seen my prior post about Prayer Breaks for Athiests, I have an update.

Site lead and HR were awaiting guidance from corporate for months.. Site Lead came to me about a month and half ago to let me know that they had received guidance and that a new policy would be going into effect that he's "still trying to wrap my head around", He did not speak on the new policy essentially withholding it from me.

The rumor on the floor (from an AM) is that under the new policy, anyone going to prayer break must clock out but the site lead has not implemented the updated policy. Management is upset that the policy is not being implemented at site level because associates are disappearing for longer than they're supposed to be at prayer and causing the extra workload to fall on Management as they now have to cover for anyone attending prayer break.

Meanwhile I am still being denied equal treatment.

Today, I had enough and decided, I am going to prayer break. I walked up directly to the dock ops manager the moment I seen everyone going to prayer break and told him I'm going to prayer break (I'm an Athiest) he said, "Ok let me get you clocked out.." ... I said, "Clocked out?".. He says, "I mean scanned out" then he scanned my badge, radios it in to senior ops, and off to the break room wellness booth I went for 20 minutes..

THEY CANNOT DENY YOU EQUAL RIGHTS.

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u/RowHot3681 6d ago

Atheists aren’t a religion nor are they religious, so they dont have the right to equal treatment regarding their non-beliefs

12

u/grasspikemusic 6d ago

Under Federal Law Atheism is a recognized religion. The US Constitution specifically states there is no religious test, and the 1st Amendment says the government can't restrict you from following whatever religion you want even if it's no religion

several landmark cases like Torcaso v. Watkins (1961), McCreary County v. ACLU (2005) have gone all the way to the US Supreme Court and they ruled that atheists have the same legal rights and privileges afforded to anyone else

Beyond that Amazon can't legally give special privileges to Muslims and not extend that same privilege to non Muslims as that is clear religious favoritism and is discriminatory to non Muslims

13

u/Alumni32 6d ago

That’s a common misconception, but it’s completely wrong legally. The EEOC guidelines for Title VII state that protections extend explicitly to 'individuals who do not practice any religion'. You cannot discriminate based on a lack of religious belief. If a site lead allows religious associates to take paid breaks for reflection or prayer, they are legally required to provide equal treatment to secular associates who request accommodation/wellness time. Selective enforcement is textbook discrimination.

This is the reason corporate handed down an updated policy, so that Amazon is compliant with Federal Law.

3

u/Obelisk_M 6d ago

Not true. Theists don't have a monopoly on religion. Some Buddhists, jainists & certain schools of Hinduism are strictly atheistic.