7th Circuit hands win to employer in religious discrimination case

After receiving a job offer from a Walmart store in Wisconsin, the candidate announced he was unable to work between sundown on Friday and sundown on Saturday for religious observation. So, the employer withdrew the offer. The U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals (which covers Wisconsin employers) recently decided the company didn’t violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 because its offer to have the candidate apply for other hourly positions was a reasonable accommodation, and anything more would have imposed an undue hardship on the business.

Facts

In April 2016, the Walmart store in Hayward, Wisconsin, offered Edward Hedican a position as one of eight assistant managers. After receiving the offer, Hedican, a Seventh Day Adventist, advised the company he couldn’t work between sundown on Friday and sundown on Saturday for religious observation.

Lori Ahern, the store’s HR manager, assessed whether it could accommodate Hedican’s religious practices. She determined accommodating his schedule would pose an undue hardship for the store because it would: