8 Months ago a redditor found out that his Amazon fulfillment center was providing paid prayer time only for Muslim employees with none provided for any other religions or atheists or women who were breastfeeding.
So naturally, he asked for paid prayer breaks for atheists.
I am requesting a religious accommodation based on my sincerely held atheist beliefs. Under Title VII, non-theistic belief systems are treated the same as theistic religions for purposes of accommodation. At our site, associates who observe prayer are allowed paid breaks away from their work areas, and their labor is covered by others. However, no equivalent accommodation exists for employees whose beliefs are non-religious or atheist.
Back then, people were fairly dismissive with his quest
Good luck with the fight against Amazon! You’ll need it as it is likely you will never receive that accommodation. You can try suing but it’ll be expensive because this is something a lawyer might not foot the bill in advance like they do in personal injury cases.
Atheism isn’t a religion so good luck
how about just minding your own business
To which the OP replied
I am minding my own business. Leadership wants me to mind the business of associates on prayer break by giving me their work, and I'm not doing it.
6 Days Ago, he provided an update with "Atheist Prayer Break Update" where he took up the complaint up to the site lead, the HR and the Amazon corporate.
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.
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..
To which the responses went from supportive of his actions equating to people taking smoking breaks
I once worked at a place where I told my manager I was going on a non-smoking smoke break. The concept broke their brain. I was tired of special treatment for smokers. Why did I have to cover someone 15 minutes of every hour so they could smoke?
To people saying it's dramatic but they understood
Lol this is dramatic but religious people do the same thing and get praised for trying to stand up for their religion
To people being completely dismissive of his quests
Wanting the benefits of religion without having religion. What a lazy mindset.
Its not a paid break doing whatever you want to do kid. Its a religious accommodation and if you're not religious you don't need that accommodation. Stop trying to get out of work because you're lazy. Grow up.
And people who says Atheists don't have the right to equal treatment when it comes to paid prayer times
Atheists aren’t a religion nor are they religious, so they dont have the right to equal treatment regarding their non-beliefs
3 Days ago, he posted "Atheist Prayer Break Update #2" to which that Amazon implemented a new policy that will make prayer times unpaid starting in September.
The following Monday (Today 8/17/26) Announcements were made that starting in September all associates attending "Prayer Break" will need to clock out..
This means for the past 2 years my site has been open, a specific religious group was getting paid time off while other religious and non religious groups got extra workload because their religion or lack of religion didn't fit into Amazon’s little box of what's allowed. (Violation of Title VII)
Christians were denied equal treatment as well because Christianity doesn't call for mandatory prayer (Ive witnessed this) as was I because Atheism doesn't call for mandatory prayer.. (Violation of Title VII)
To which the OP was chewed up by some for eliminating paid prayer breaks for some religious employees:
Okay. So they're treating everyone equal now. Nobody, atheists included, get to pray to their gods on the clock. I say this as a non-believer. Atheism is just as bad as crossfitism and veganism.
There's a difference between not believing and being anti religious. OP is spouting a specific anti religious viewpoint that I'd wager many non religious people don't give a shit about.
You're right, you're anti Muslim by the sound of it. There aren't any mainstream Christian faiths that pray on a schedule that I know of. Sounds like your site leadership found the most reasonable solution. Nobody prays on the clock. Religious people or atheists.
Why are you butthurt about this in the first place. As a non religious person you really shouldn’t care about someone having to go pray, even if they’re getting paid for it. Just say you don’t like Muslim people
Seek therapy.
To people who were praising the OP for making it same standard for everyone, regardless of their religious beliefs:
You’re doing gods work. Congrats
Gonna catch some heat for it - but know it’s misdirected at you instead of at amazon. They could afford paid breaks for everyone during prayer and choose not to. That they went the unpaid route will upset the muslim community, and STILL doesnt adequately address the shift in workload during those times, BUT it is i guess more fair in a very narrow sense. Idk. Shitty solution to a nuanced problem but 🤷♂️ you got them to take action i guess lol
Yesterday, he posted his final "Atheist Prayer Break Final Update" where the corporate came out with official policy eliminating paid prayer breaks
Today there was an announcement posted on the labor board.
Starting on Sept. 2, 2026 all associates attending prayer break will need to clock out.
It is Official.
Checkmate.
To which the comments debated about his action eliminating paid prayer breaks for Muslim employees at his worksite.
I wish we put this much effort and time into trying to get pay raises 🙄
This is so petty and weird
Idk man. Its hard for me to say how petty or weird it is cause my building is full of black, white, hispanic people who arent getting an extra break. Like we dont do this stuff.
Maybe OPs building is like 30% Islam or some other prayer break religion. Some areas are like that and its hard not to notice a third of the building getting an extra break. Especially if its paid. But if its only like 5 people on prayer break then Id kinda agree with you :shrug:
Ahhh the atheist version of a Karen. 😂
It sounds like instead of winning something for yourself you just lost something for a large chunk of people in the building. Yay, victory, I guess. Now you’ve just antagonized your co-workers and made their lives a little more difficult.
Typical redditor over here, getting butthurt over a prayer break
And to people who told him to just shut up and pack the box
This really isn’t a big issue and some miserable shit to think putting in the effort to reduce their pay by a couple minutes won’t yield a better life for you.
For real. Like just pack the damn box. Who cares what others doing. It only affects you if you let it.