A Delta flight attendant has filed a lawsuit against the airline, alleging antisemitism (thanks to Justin for flagging this). This is an interesting case, because I can’t help but think that maybe this person just has unrealistic expectations about their employment.
In this post:
Flight attendant accuses Delta of antisemitism
Sasi Sheva is a 44-year-old Israeli from Encino, California, who has worked as a flight attendant at Delta since 2022. He’s now accusing the airline of religious discrimination, claiming the airline “has engaged in a pattern of intentionally discriminating and retaliating against ethnically Jewish, Hebrew and/or Israeli employees based upon their race and ancestry.”
So, what are the flight attendant’s issues with the airline? It started in July 2022, shortly after Sheva’s employment at the airline started, when his schedule was changed at the last minute. Flight attendants need to have flexible scheduled, and it’s not unusual to have trips switched due to operational requirements. Sheva was driven in a van straight to the airport, to avoid any additional delay.
Sheva didn’t have the chance to eat, and the airline ignored his “numerous requests for a ‘safety break’ to obtain a meal.” Sheva is both kosher and vegetarian, so requested that he be able to “stop for a few minutes in the concourse so that he could purchase a vegetarian snack.”
Then despite Sheva’s employee profile “clearly stating he is Hebrew-speaking, Jewish and vegetarian, he was provided with a ham sandwich,” according to the lawsuit.
Next up, in October 2022, Sheva requested to be able to take off Yom Kippur, but that was “refused in bad faith and with no justification.” The airline refused the religious accommodation, noting that Delta uses a seniority system for flight attendant bidding.
My take on this Delta lawsuit
Even though I’m not particularly religious myself, I respect that people have the right to their sincerely held religious beliefs. That being said, it sure seems to me like these complaints are at odds with the expectations that exist of flight attendants. Let’s unpack these two situations.
Any frequent traveler has been in a situation where a flight is delayed, because you’re short one crew member (I had a very long delay due to this recently, which I still need to write about). Clearly that’s why the flight attendant had his trip changed, was reassigned to another flight, and was brought to the airport ASAP.
Odds are that there were 150-300 people all waiting on Sheva to get to the plane in order to get going. If Sheva had taken 10 minutes to get something to eat (which seems optimistic, given lines at airports), just do the math on how many more collective hours of peoples’ time that would have wasted).
If you’re a frequent traveler, whether you’re a flight attendant or passenger, you should always carry snacks with you, because travel can be unpredictable. That’s even more the case when you have special dietary needs (or in the case of Sheva, two separate sets of dietary requirements).
Presumably the flight had already been catered before Sheva was called to work it, so it’s not like the airline catered a ham sandwich to spite him.
Then there’s the issue of taking Yom Kippur off. For flight attendants, seniority is the single most important factor that determines the schedule one gets. When you get into the airline business, you better be ready to work nights, weekends, holidays, etc.
Short of a serious medical issue for someone in the family, it’s unreasonable to expect that an airline will otherwise accommodate days off based on one’s individual needs. It would be like a Christian asking for Christmas off, since it’s their most important holiday.
For example, for Jewish people who strictly observe Shabbat, it would be unreasonable to expect that the airline would guarantee you that time off every week… at least in my opinion (unless you’re working for EL AL).
Keep in mind that flight attendants are allowed to trade trips, so one workaround for situations like this would be to find a colleague who is willing to pick up a trip for you, in exchange for you picking up one of their trips. But this really has to be done between individuals, rather than expecting accommodation from management.
Look, I don’t want to rag on this Delta flight attendant, and I can appreciate where he’s coming from, wanting to have something decent to eat, and wanting his most important holiday off. But I also feel like maybe being a flight attendant isn’t the right line of work for him, because it requires being willing to work any time, and being extremely flexible.
I mean, both of these incidents started within moments of him taking the job, so maybe he didn’t fully realize what he was getting himself into?
Bottom line
A junior flight attendant is suing Delta, accusing the company of a pattern of intentional discrimination. The complaints mainly center around the airline being unwilling to accommodate this person’s dietary and religious needs.
While I understand how the circumstances here might not be ideal, I think this person’s expectations of the airline are unreasonable. One of the most important traits for flight attendants is flexibility, given that the industry operates 24/7, and is all about maintaining a smooth operation.
What’s your take on this situation (please be respectful and stick to the core of the topic)?
And people still don't understand why so many others have strong opinions on Israel.
If my religion is the Church of three headed Koala and my faith forbids me to work outside of Monday afternoon and I must be spoon fed caviar and champagne by 2 non believers twice a week and must pray in a bed with my eyes closed every 3 hours 3 times a day. The louder snore the holier. My faith...
And people still don't understand why so many others have strong opinions on Israel.
If my religion is the Church of three headed Koala and my faith forbids me to work outside of Monday afternoon and I must be spoon fed caviar and champagne by 2 non believers twice a week and must pray in a bed with my eyes closed every 3 hours 3 times a day. The louder snore the holier. My faith doesn't have a holiest day, we have a holiest decade. Our holiest holiday, the Koala Pickleball festival, spans 10 years and comes once every 10 years.
Should I file a lawsuit for antikoalism?
Americans are the carriers of the cross … they have vowed to fight the infidels and lead the next crusade. Hardly a surprise that the idea of other religions aces m vegetarianism fails to register in their brains. Other than Islamic countries and Israel, I don’t think any other country identifies so strongly with a religion as America….
Surprised that the Delta KHaren didn't try to blame KHamas.
Airline polices are fairly clear and robust having withstood a number of governmental and legal challenges. Most airlines require you to sign a form indicating you can legally travel to any country (FAs) and work any shifts including weekends and holidays - NO EXCEPTIONS (gate/ramp staff). Many do accommodate religious practice such as praying during break times or head coverings. In addition, your dietary requirements are your own. As a FA you signed the form...
Airline polices are fairly clear and robust having withstood a number of governmental and legal challenges. Most airlines require you to sign a form indicating you can legally travel to any country (FAs) and work any shifts including weekends and holidays - NO EXCEPTIONS (gate/ramp staff). Many do accommodate religious practice such as praying during break times or head coverings. In addition, your dietary requirements are your own. As a FA you signed the form indicating you could work hot reserve, short call, long call, etc. So, you can either (1) drop the trip for the event you need, (2) call out, or (3) work in a less restrictive industry. Hospital employees, first responders (thankfully!) work under similar constraints. Transfer to reservations or recruitment where you can work from home. Operational staffing is not for everyone. We should be grateful for the individuals that are willing to sacrifice holidays and events so that we can enjoy them with family and friends.
Religion is like genitals, we all got one and fine to be proud of. Don't whip it out in public!
Courtesy - Intenet!
the most persuasive comments in this thread have been the ones in ostensibly support of the FA, albeit persuasive in the opposite direction than they were intended. good grief, the hilarious entitlement of some folks...
As someone who would die if he ate a peanut, fake sky daddy rules don't really get my sympathy re: dietary choices. Because that is a choice at that point.
Ben your on point, it would be ridiculous to expect accommodation on this, no way, no how.
I am a retired pilot and I know a thing or two about reassignments. If a flight is waiting for you and you need to duck into a fast food emporium for a few minutes, no one is going to discipline you for that. You may have to explain to your supervisor but no one can expect you to work a trip with no food.
WOW!!!
I wish passengers can offload crews.
If a passenger "duck into a fast food emporium for a few minutes" you're off the flight.
Flight 55 is delayed due to Pilot waiting on a Whopper.
911: we can't dispatch anyone right now, our officers need to grab some coffee.
Ben your on point, period
As a son of Holocaust survivors (and a relative of many who did not survive), and the parent of a Jewish student at Columbia, I assess this lawsuit as the sort of rubbish that mocks those who have actually suffered for their religion. Complete nonsense.
This smacks ofgenerator. (or genz or whatever) sense of entitlement, pervasive in the younger generation. Everything has to be on their terms.
It’s anudda shoah!
Been around a lot. Your comment enticed me to look at your name. While an impressive pun, your comment is clearly anti-Jew with the mention of money.
Smart passengers have contingency plans on our person or carry on for food. It makes a flight attendant look foolish to not do the same.
I am not taking sides but reread the story. He was called in with no notice and a van was waiting. I have contingency plans when I know I am travelling.
Just do what most airline employees do when they really need a particular day off, call in sick.
I mean what airline caters pork products anymore….. a ham sandwich? Yeah no
I call BS and I absolutely agree with Ben. I flew for 3 years ( Pan Am years ago) wouldn’t have dreamed of asking for Christmas off !
You call BS? Besides Delta, United, Lufthansa, Asiana, BA, and plenty of others serve ham sandwiches. Google is your friend.
I don't believe in any religious exemptions, especially in hospitality and emergency personnel positions. I believe in seniority.
"Sasi Sheva" ? Did this person just converted from Hinduism to Judaism? ( If I am not wrong they call the Indians as Brown Jews of Asia).
Yes, I am " SPECIAL" because I am Jewish! Oh, By the way, If I don't get my way, I am sending Booby trapped pagers, cell phones and I-Phones to adults, children, old ladies, I don't care who. Also I will sue in US Courts so they will rule in my favor and US will confiscate " Other" countries Deposits & property because we have "OUR" people posted there.( Treasury Dept is strictly a Hebrew entity)
Oh, look, an anti-Semitic asshole.
*Yawn!*
GFY.
I'm sure Mason and Julia will show up any minute to say "it's just anti-Zionist!"
And yet your antisemitic comment is allowed to be published on a Jewish owned blog. God Bless America. Maybe you should not hate America after all.
The pagers and such were not sent or sold to ordinary people. You know that, I know that and Israel knows that. People that play with bombs and hide behind beepers know that now.
Flight attendants bid monthly for their schedules.
If it was so important to have that day off he could have bid it off or traded with someone.
Please read the details. This was an unscheduled emergency call in with a van waiting.
@Moe
The Yom Kippur situation is different from the emergency call situation.
In the case of the emergency call anyone with any dietary restriction would have been inconvenienced by it. That's wrong but it does not make it discrimination or anti-semitism.
What an inconceivably whiney lawsuit. Seems like a lot more instances these days of the very religious wanting preferential treatment, and not equal rights, meaning those of us who are not religious become second class citizens by default. If a religious holiday is so important, use paid time off or trade shifts; if you have exceptionally niche dietary restrictions, that's a you problem and not a your employer problem.
While those who are religious...
What an inconceivably whiney lawsuit. Seems like a lot more instances these days of the very religious wanting preferential treatment, and not equal rights, meaning those of us who are not religious become second class citizens by default. If a religious holiday is so important, use paid time off or trade shifts; if you have exceptionally niche dietary restrictions, that's a you problem and not a your employer problem.
While those who are religious would scoff at this, religion is ultimately a personal choice and following doctrines and dogma amount to a personal choice. It would not be materially different than me deciding I don't want to work on my birthday and that I can't eat iceberg lettuce because I think it sucks and then expecting my employer to accommodate those choices under threat of law. Personal choices.
Sounds like Mr Sheva is in the wrong line of work. He needs a desk job instead where he can easily bring his own food to work. As for needing religious days off. I’m sure if he gives his supervisor a year notice in advance, unless emergency pops up, can be easily arranged if he has a regular office job. If office job isn’t for him, I would suggest be a real estate agent where...
Sounds like Mr Sheva is in the wrong line of work. He needs a desk job instead where he can easily bring his own food to work. As for needing religious days off. I’m sure if he gives his supervisor a year notice in advance, unless emergency pops up, can be easily arranged if he has a regular office job. If office job isn’t for him, I would suggest be a real estate agent where you set your own schedule. With that said, I feel sorry for his future employers as this guy feels like a handful.
With you on the food situation but I don’t see why the attendant can’t take off Yom Kippur with plenty of advance notice. It’s the most holiest Jewish holiday and it’s one day.
Because Thats not how it works at the Airlines
Seniority decides who get first pick of days off.
There are lots of jews with higher seniority than him at Delta, in 20 years time he can have all the days off he wants, to celebrate his big fantasy man in the skye
Well that’s stupid, if a religious person gives 10 months of notice about an important religious day I think they can accommodate that. Let’s see what court says.
@ Andrew But do we know if he really asked about it ten months in advance?
Others with much more seniority have probably also requested time off months in advance as well. They need people to work on that day. He may have been the employee next in line on the reserve list who was closest to that airport to work that flight.
Well that's stupid. if a religious person gives 10 months of notice about an important religious day I think they can accommodate that. Let’s see what court says.
My religion is US Football. I want the SB off.
My friend's religion is the presidential election. They want that off.
Another friend is a believer in full moons. He wants the great moon off.
Who are you to tell them their 'religions' are any less...
Well that's stupid. if a religious person gives 10 months of notice about an important religious day I think they can accommodate that. Let’s see what court says.
My religion is US Football. I want the SB off.
My friend's religion is the presidential election. They want that off.
Another friend is a believer in full moons. He wants the great moon off.
Who are you to tell them their 'religions' are any less important that your religion.
And the courts have already ruled on this! He is bound by a collective bargaining agreement.
> My religion is US Football. I want the SB off.
Realistically this is still fine, 10 months in advance. Same rules apply. The airline just stack ranks everyone who wants that day off (probably half the crew), and only the most senior get it. Everyone else gets stuck working on their "holy" day.
During recruitment airlines are very clear about the work scheduling but perhaps applicants in their enthusiasm, develope a selective hearing loss. Too bad. I've often thought new hires should be partially responsible for the training costs if the employees cannot abide the terms to which was agreed.
Treating you like everyone else is not a discrimination, even if you dislike that treatment.
Religion is a personal choice that belongs in private domain and plays no role on public policies. An employee who needs a special accommodation must arrange it with his co-worker at management's discretion. When a business allows special exemption or accommodation, it will invite abuse and fraud. Secular Israelis fight against Orthodox Jews when they demand the government to exempt their kids from compulsory military service so that they can focus on Judaism practice. Secular...
Religion is a personal choice that belongs in private domain and plays no role on public policies. An employee who needs a special accommodation must arrange it with his co-worker at management's discretion. When a business allows special exemption or accommodation, it will invite abuse and fraud. Secular Israelis fight against Orthodox Jews when they demand the government to exempt their kids from compulsory military service so that they can focus on Judaism practice. Secular Israelis have a couple of kids while Orthodox Jews have six or more kids. It is unsustainable to provide long-term safety and security to the nation. Why don't we hear or read about other faith followers demand the same accommodation from their employers? It matters not how special the religious day is.
Actually, globetrotter, "Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires employers to reasonably accommodate the religious practice of an employee or prospective employee, unless to do so would cause an undue hardship to the employer". You'll find that statement verbatim on multiple federal government websites.
I agree that this person made a questionable choice of careers, and that his complaints sound weak. However, he probably has a viable case (I'm not a...
Actually, globetrotter, "Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires employers to reasonably accommodate the religious practice of an employee or prospective employee, unless to do so would cause an undue hardship to the employer". You'll find that statement verbatim on multiple federal government websites.
I agree that this person made a questionable choice of careers, and that his complaints sound weak. However, he probably has a viable case (I'm not a attorney). The key words are "reasonably" and "undue hardship". A judge will have to define those words for the specific facts of this case if there's not a settlement first.
This is all very confusing...
1. As I understand it, flight attendants operate in very chaotic and subject to change schedules. It should be an expectation that you need to be flexible across a number of aspects of your daily life
2. Why is he not using a PTO day for the holiday? Are flight attendants forced to work in some sort of slave labor practice?
3. Not seeing how this is antisemitic...
This is all very confusing...
1. As I understand it, flight attendants operate in very chaotic and subject to change schedules. It should be an expectation that you need to be flexible across a number of aspects of your daily life
2. Why is he not using a PTO day for the holiday? Are flight attendants forced to work in some sort of slave labor practice?
3. Not seeing how this is antisemitic and in fact belittles others who genuinely are dealing with antisemitism.
All of this sounds ridiculous.
I know Jewish co-workers who have refused jobs due to possibly needing to work on Saturdays/be on-call, just as I've known Muslim co-workers who couldn't work at fast-food establishments growing up since they would be serving pork and had to find other student jobs during the summers.
This guy has no excuse--go find another job that fits with your religion and lifestyle, stop crying wolf.
No sane court would even give this case the time of day. This will case will surely be dismissed and rightfully so.
I am a retired flight attendant and I'm also Jewish. I can appreciate most of the comments that have been posted. This individual had many different options to ensure he was not working during Yom Kippur. Trip trade, drop the trip, and certainly his yearly vacation time. Not sure how much vacation time he had the first year, but he also had plenty of time and notice to get a coworker to accommodate his needs....
I am a retired flight attendant and I'm also Jewish. I can appreciate most of the comments that have been posted. This individual had many different options to ensure he was not working during Yom Kippur. Trip trade, drop the trip, and certainly his yearly vacation time. Not sure how much vacation time he had the first year, but he also had plenty of time and notice to get a coworker to accommodate his needs. However, nobody has addressed the possibility if he was on reserve. If that was the case, then his scheduling flexibility would be greatly diminished. I know in my 25 years in the industry, I never had an issue to get time off for any personal event, religious holiday, or anything else that I was interested in attending. It is my belief that this person only relied on the company agreeing to his needs, and we all know that it doesn't work that way.
Why did he have to file a lawsuit? I speculate that it might be to preempt some sort of disciplinary action. As he does not have any union protection at DL.
Regarding the ham sandwich. This is on him 100%. He was probably sitting reserve and was on a short call out. There was no opportunity for the company to replenish crew meals based upon anyones dietary needs. He should always have a snack bag/care package ready to go at anytime. This is just lack of experience or ignorance on his part.
This is not el al. This is delta an american airline not israeli airline. Absolutely ridiculous lawsuit.
Comparing Yom Kippur to Christmas has got to be one of the most offensively ignorant comments I have seen in a long time.
Do some research Ben.
Also, every employee has the right to a meal. If they have certain dietary requirements, they have a right to take a break to deal with those requirements. These are basic workers rights, regardless of how many people might be inconvenienced in the meantime.
Both Yom Kippur and Christmas are major religious holidays. In New York City public school students get both of those holidays off as they are equal in weight and importance. I don't know what you're insinuating in that comparing it to Christmas is somehow offensive.
You are correct that employees have a right to a meal - but it's clearly not an anti-Semitism issue. It's an issue with how tight crew scheduling is.
@Ken
The two holidays are very different within religious context. Yom Kippur is a day of morning and Jewish law prohibits work where as Christmas is a celebration of Jesus Christ. I’d say Yom Kippur is more religiously strict but Christmas is a more major holiday.
In the U.S. if you give reasonable time to your employer for a day off due to observing a religious holiday they must accommodate them.
Sorry to say. Yom Kippur has nothing to do with mourning. It is the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
Yom Kippur is the one day in the year when we need to do some things that might seem like we are mourning, but the truth is we are very happy on this day.
Regarding the blog and the issues raised. The meal is on the FA. He should've thought about it. But on Yom...
Sorry to say. Yom Kippur has nothing to do with mourning. It is the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
Yom Kippur is the one day in the year when we need to do some things that might seem like we are mourning, but the truth is we are very happy on this day.
Regarding the blog and the issues raised. The meal is on the FA. He should've thought about it. But on Yom Kippur (if he didn't have the option of using that day instead of his other holidays) I'm fully with him and I can see (and hope) that the court will rule with him on this.
I can see this issue being represented in court by the big Jewish communities in the US and they will make sure that this issue get's to the supreme court.
Not allowing a Jew take off on any Jewish holiday is discrimination and should not be allowed in any country. But if they provided him with the option of using Yom Kippur instead of other days off, I don't think he's right.
My question to this FA is: 1) What is with the other Jewish holidays in that same month? We have Rosh Hashona which is the start of the Jewish year. We have Succos? 2) If he eats kosher, what shop did he want to go and buy his snack? Vegetarian food is not kosher.
No religious, ethnic or cultural exemptions. Period. God told me to say that.
@flying100
‘ Not allowing a Jew take off on any Jewish holiday is discrimination and should not be allowed in any country’
Then, they should probably not work in other countries. Other countries do not need to accommodate because it is not a part of their religion or culture. I know many expats who do have to work even on their holidays when working overseas as they are told from the get go that they...
@flying100
‘ Not allowing a Jew take off on any Jewish holiday is discrimination and should not be allowed in any country’
Then, they should probably not work in other countries. Other countries do not need to accommodate because it is not a part of their religion or culture. I know many expats who do have to work even on their holidays when working overseas as they are told from the get go that they need to be flexible with their schedules.
I know many Muslims, Jews, and Christians who worked on their very important holidays. I have Jewish friends who worked on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur because it is a regular work day at their place of employment. I also know many Christians who had to work on Christmas and Muslims who worked during Eid.
You cannot expect working for an employer overseas to accommodate your every needs. Sometimes they may agree to it but be prepared to be denied as well.
All that is required are "reasonable accommodations". Companies falling back on prior established seniority rules or allowing for voluntary shift switching could be considered reasonable behavior by a company in response to a request for time off to observe a religious holiday.
Next is that you considering Yom Kippur as having bigger weight because it is a day of mourning vs a day of celebration is also subjective. Some might find celebrating just as...
All that is required are "reasonable accommodations". Companies falling back on prior established seniority rules or allowing for voluntary shift switching could be considered reasonable behavior by a company in response to a request for time off to observe a religious holiday.
Next is that you considering Yom Kippur as having bigger weight because it is a day of mourning vs a day of celebration is also subjective. Some might find celebrating just as important as mourning in their own respective religions. In addition just because Judaism hard codes many days of non-work does not mean that observers of other religions or non-observers of any religion are required to act in a matter where your beliefs of not being able to work on certain days supersedes anything else.
In New York City where I live which has the largest population of Jewish people outside of Israel public schools are closed for Jewish students to observe Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah. Schools are also closed for Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha for Muslim students to observe their holy holidays. In a non-religious context schools are also closed for Diwali and the Lunar New Year, major cultural holidays across Asia.
Each population and each holiday is viewed in equal weight - important enough that significant amount of students take the day off either to mourn, to celebrate, to feast, to dance, and more.
Sure he has the right to time to eat a meal but why should an employer provide the meal? He could easily have brought something as many employees round the world do!
I don't see why he should have any special claim to that particular day off when others don't for any other particular day. If you work in healthcare, emergency services, travel, etc then it's a 24/7 setup and sometimes you'll have to work...
Sure he has the right to time to eat a meal but why should an employer provide the meal? He could easily have brought something as many employees round the world do!
I don't see why he should have any special claim to that particular day off when others don't for any other particular day. If you work in healthcare, emergency services, travel, etc then it's a 24/7 setup and sometimes you'll have to work weekends, nights or holidays - it's part of the job. Sure you can swap or take annual leave but you've got no special right to that day over anyone else.
Other than Ben should have used Easter as the Christian comparison, your comment is the one that is ignorant and offensive. You made yourself the judges and jury that that there are not any christians that take Christmas as or more serious than even a single jewish person takes Yom Kippur. I have many jewish friends that do not observe Yom Kippur.
As far as having the right to a meal. It's called personal...
Other than Ben should have used Easter as the Christian comparison, your comment is the one that is ignorant and offensive. You made yourself the judges and jury that that there are not any christians that take Christmas as or more serious than even a single jewish person takes Yom Kippur. I have many jewish friends that do not observe Yom Kippur.
As far as having the right to a meal. It's called personal accountability. Does the airline have his preferred type of meal available on his regularly scheduled fights? This sounds like it was a last minute schedule change for this individual. If he was at home, grab something to put in your bag before leaving the house. If he was sitting at the airport as a reserve, then you already know that the airline has no idea what flight you are going to be assigned to until the last minute. Again, grab something at the airport before you are assigned and put it in your bag.
?????
Both days are very important religious dates to two different religious groups.
Yom Kippur is a day of atonement for those of the Jewish faith. For Christians/Catholics, who atone in different ways throughout the year, Christmas is a day of joy.
Neither one supersedes the other. A flight attendant’s job is o be available unless other arrangements are made in advance. This has nothing to do with bigotry. Ben’s comments are...
?????
Both days are very important religious dates to two different religious groups.
Yom Kippur is a day of atonement for those of the Jewish faith. For Christians/Catholics, who atone in different ways throughout the year, Christmas is a day of joy.
Neither one supersedes the other. A flight attendant’s job is o be available unless other arrangements are made in advance. This has nothing to do with bigotry. Ben’s comments are spot on and shame on you Richard for twisting them. Shalom.
Umm... no.
Do your own research.
No there is no 'right' there.
Also, airlines have TONS of snacks that would have provided sustenance until landing.
In what world do you live where that would be the most offensive comment? Ben's wrong, the most important Christian holiday is Easter. But that doesn't matter. He wasn't comparing the substance of the holidays, he was saying that most religions have days with significance which they would or should celebrate by not working. How in the world would his comparison be offensive?
Catholics are obligated to attend Mass every Sunday and Holy Day, under...
In what world do you live where that would be the most offensive comment? Ben's wrong, the most important Christian holiday is Easter. But that doesn't matter. He wasn't comparing the substance of the holidays, he was saying that most religions have days with significance which they would or should celebrate by not working. How in the world would his comparison be offensive?
Catholics are obligated to attend Mass every Sunday and Holy Day, under penalty of mortal sin. Church teaching, however, allows for an exemption for those whose "works of public service or scheduling needs prevent them from being able to honor the obligation on Sunday or the Holy Day. They are encouraged to try to mark the day as holy in some other way, if possible, always keeping the priority of Sunday worship in their employment considerations." A Catholic then, though s/he might really want to be able to go to Church on Sundays, can't really tell the airline that having Sundays off is a requirement of their religion.
I don't know if Judaism requires Yom Kippur to be observed without work, or if it is just something that Jews would desire to do. But if not working that day is an obligation of the religion, it is one day a year, and that seems very reasonable to use a religious objection to take that day off. While the government does not impose religion in America, the culture in America is still significantly religious and private companies - even though not required by the law in all cases - would do well to honor it.
That said, I can't get behind him whining about being hungry. Bring your own food.
This is not going to get anywhere. I can get behind the ham sandwich story but as scheduling is concerned, it’s seniority based.
Imagine everyone who wants Christmas off not getting it and suing? Right.
Just another money grabbing individual taking advantage of the current anti Jewish rhetoric who clearly wanted to find a financial exit from a job he didn’t really enjoy!
Well, well, well. If it isn't the Nazis jumping in with their antisemitism.
That's not an appropriate statement. Nazis did really horrible things.
@Richard, don’t usually feed trolls but I will make an exception! My comment would stand if it were a Christian, Muslim, Hindu or any other religion! My conscience is clear my views my own!!
American Orthodox Jews are know to litigate. They will also try and turn a minor issue into a major one.
Go ahead and sue. The line forms to the right. And, good luck with that! (Tongue firmly in cheek)
Sounds like flight attendant isn't the right line of work for this guy.
I've never had any sympathy for people's self-inflicted rules, religious or not. Don't expect other people to accommodate your choices.
In 1985, Sol Wachtler, then the chief justice of New York's Supreme Court said, “Any good prosecutor can get a grand jury to indict a ham sandwich.”
But did he keep the evidence?
Ethnically Jewish? What is that? I’ve never subscribed to the crazed ideology that equates a religion with a race.
Well, that's because your name is Christian. Change your name to Jewish, go down to your local Synagogue, and see with what kind of wide-open arms they accept you as one of their own.
What does my name have to do with my ethnicity?
It was a roundabout way to say that while most (all?) Christians don't make a connection between their ethnicity and their religion many Jewish sects do, to varying degrees. (For some, and certainly not a minority, this is very much the case.)
Please explain what an ethnic Muslim is then please.
The Jewish people represent a unique blend of faith and heritage. While not a race in the biological sense, they form an ethnoreligious group, bound by shared ancestry, cultural traditions, and the practice of Judaism. You might also refer to them as a tribe, emphasizing their close-knit community and historical lineage.
don't shoot me, I'm just the piano player ... FYI, the current US Supreme Court offers a kinda-standard that employers will have to go beyond to try to avoid another lawsuit: prior standard was a TWA case: Groff in '23 tried to explain the prior, but it's still subjective: "a religious accommodation must impose a substantial hardship to the conduct of the employer’s business – analyzing the reasonableness of the accommodation through the lens of...
don't shoot me, I'm just the piano player ... FYI, the current US Supreme Court offers a kinda-standard that employers will have to go beyond to try to avoid another lawsuit: prior standard was a TWA case: Groff in '23 tried to explain the prior, but it's still subjective: "a religious accommodation must impose a substantial hardship to the conduct of the employer’s business – analyzing the reasonableness of the accommodation through the lens of employer size and resources – before it can be denied. This requires evaluating the particular accommodation(s) requested and their practical impact in light of the nature, size and operating cost of an employer." Surprisingly, vote was 9-0. All 9 agreed with it. Employer was the US Postal Service.
A Jew asking not to work on Yom Kippur is a very reasonable request. Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is the holiest day on the Jewish calendar and it is traditional for Jews to go to Synagogue and also to fast. I don't see why it is difficult for Delta to accommodate the request. While I appreciate the concern about treating employees consistently across religions and allowing any Christian to take off Christmas would...
A Jew asking not to work on Yom Kippur is a very reasonable request. Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is the holiest day on the Jewish calendar and it is traditional for Jews to go to Synagogue and also to fast. I don't see why it is difficult for Delta to accommodate the request. While I appreciate the concern about treating employees consistently across religions and allowing any Christian to take off Christmas would be problematic for the airline's operations, allowing Jews to take off Yom Kippur doesn't pose a similar problem.
@ Grogg -- I'm curious, what's the line that you would draw though with what should constitute getting the day off? Is it fasting on that day? Because if so, Muslims fast for the entire month of Ramadan during daylight hours. Is it that it's the holiest day? If so, do you think the holiest days of other religions should get similar accommodations?
These kinds of situations are exactly what trip trading is there for.
...@ Grogg -- I'm curious, what's the line that you would draw though with what should constitute getting the day off? Is it fasting on that day? Because if so, Muslims fast for the entire month of Ramadan during daylight hours. Is it that it's the holiest day? If so, do you think the holiest days of other religions should get similar accommodations?
These kinds of situations are exactly what trip trading is there for.
I totally get in most lines of work, it's reasonable to ask for your most important day off. But the airline industry just works very differently, and this is one of the biggest sacrifices that airline employees have to make.
It is admittedly much harder to draw the line than it is to reason about which side of the line to place a specific situation. Broadly speaking, I would like to see similar accommodations for people in all religions who have sincerely held beliefs. I'm not trying to suggest, as Michael Karpiel interpreted my post to be saying, that Jews are entitled to special treatment. I was trying to make two points.
First, a Jew...
It is admittedly much harder to draw the line than it is to reason about which side of the line to place a specific situation. Broadly speaking, I would like to see similar accommodations for people in all religions who have sincerely held beliefs. I'm not trying to suggest, as Michael Karpiel interpreted my post to be saying, that Jews are entitled to special treatment. I was trying to make two points.
First, a Jew asking for Yom Kippur off is considered a mainstream request. For example, Sandy Koufax declined to pitch on Yom Kippur during the World Series. I agree that if a prospective flight attendant doesn't want to work on the sabbath, they should apply to El Al. I get that there are seniority considerations and that in many instances trip trading is a viable solution, but I think the system is more rigid than it should be.
Second, when evaluating whether a particular accommodation is "reasonable" in a lay sense (I'm not a lawyer), I think it is fair to consider the impact or lack thereof on the airline's operation. This is why I focused my reply on the flight attendant wanting not to work on Yom Kippur instead of wanting a flight to be delayed so they could have food that meets their dietary requirements.
Ramadan is not the same as Yom Kippur. You keep comparing Judaism and its holiest days to other religions when they share nothing in common.
I think maybe either you are antisemitic yourself Ben, or you're just plain wilfully ignorant. If you don't understand, why don't you make an effort to research it and learn why it's so important and different to other religious days.
All religious holidays are of equal importance to those who believe in their respective religions.
Ok, fine, what about a Christian who doesn't want to work on Easter? Or a Muslim who doesn't want to work during Eid?
Also, you may also have no idea how much other religious holidays mean to other people. For some Christians, Christmas is a very important day, more than just a day off or an excuse to have a big mean. You elevating one religious holiday over others is somewhat bigoted.
Ok but isn't Eid the same as Yom Kippur? So by your theory Muslims should get the day off for that as well.
@Richard It’s only different to you, atheists view all religious days as equal (equally ridiculous in my case).
Glad you didn’t forget the antisemitic line, it’s become a requirement when disagreeing with non-Jews on anything.
Ah I see so if you are Jewish then you are entitled to special treatment. Sorry but as everyone else has stated seniority is the primary factor in flight crew scheduling. This person needs to find another job.
This statement is self scented and clearly inconsiderate of others. Should all middle eastern airlines close for Eid and Fridays for prayers, I’m with Ben here, they chose this career knowing it’s requirement, so grow up and get a grip.
His days as a flight attendant are thankfully probably limited.
Well isn't this dude special! Get to work, on the days you're supposed to work! With two years seniority only? Good luck in the future, i suspect you won't be working for DL very long.
I guess he's asking to work the entire Thanksgiving rush, Travel week of Christmas, 4th of July, every 3 day weekend, plus New Years Eve, New Years Day, and Easter - maybe he'll see a shadow. Why not.
ZERO respect! When I fly a muslim Carrier I can't have porc or alcohol on some Airlines, so get a life or a business that fits you! He should be sued by the Carrier for delaying it.