An Islamic group representing Muslim employees at Ariens Co. in Brillion has filed a religious discrimination complaint against the company for not allowing prayer breaks.
Earlier this year, the manufacturer of snowblowers and lawn mowers fired seven Muslims for taking unscheduled prayer time, while 14 other employees resigned over the issue.
More than 50 Somali immigrant Muslims at Ariens protested the company’s enforcement of a policy of two 10-minute breaks per work shift — without accommodations for unscheduled prayer time.
Fifteen of the Muslims are now represented by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) that on Tuesday filed the religious discrimination complaint with the Milwaukee office of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
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