wfn.org | NCCCUSA on Workplace Religious Freedom

[CAROL_FOUKE.parti@ecunet.org (CAROL FOUKE)]

National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA
Contact:  Carol Fouke, NCC, 212-870-2252
Internet:  carolf@ncccusa.org

NCC 10/21/97  For Immediate Release

Statement on the Workplace Religious Freedom Act

October 21, 1997

 Nothing is more fundamental to what it means to be an American than
the right to practice one's religion.  For that reason, the National
Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. is pleased to endorse the
Workplace Religious Freedom Act (WRFA) sponsored by Senators John Kerry and
Dan Coats.  The Act would go a long way toward correcting an imbalance that
has existed in the law for decades.

 Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 required employers to
accommodate the religious beliefs and practices of their employees unless
doing so would create "undue hardship."  The Supreme Court later negated
much of the benefit of Title VII by holding that anything more than a "de
minimis" expenditure of time or money constituted undue hardship.

 The WRFA will restore what many feel was the intent behind Title VII
- Namely that large employers (i.e. those employing 15 or more persons)
should accommodate their employees unless doing so would impose
significant difficulty or expense.  This language strikes a sensible
balance between the interests of employers in controlling their costs and
the needs of employees to practice their religion.

 We commend Senators Kerry and Coats for leading this important
effort on behalf of America's workers.  We urge all members of Congress to
join this bipartisan effort to restore protections for a fundamental human
right.

- end -

N.B. The Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee held hearings on
this bill this morning.
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