Faith based law suit.
Salvation Army in NY Religious Discrimination Suit
By Grant McCool
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Eighteen current and former employees of The Salvation Army sued the charity on Tuesday for discrimination and said they were pressed to follow its religious mission while working on government-funded social programs.
The plaintiffs said a Salvation Army reorganization last year required job applicants and employees to make a pledge on a questionnaire to pursue the group's religious mission, which is to "preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ."
They were also asked to identify churches they had attended in the past decade.
The Salvation Army said in a statement that its policies and procedures abided by federal, state and local laws.
"We are reviewing the issues outlined in the complaint and look forward to responding openly about our work and our employment practices as they relate to The Salvation Army's Mission," the statement said.
Arthur Eisenberg, legal director for the New York Civil Liberties Union, which filed the lawsuit in Manhattan federal court, said: "For years, The Salvation Army has run these programs very successfully without injecting religion into the workplace. Religion is irrelevant to the success of these programs and it should remain so."
Social service programs related to foster care, adoption, HIV and juvenile detention previously had their own mission statement, which was secular, lawyers said.
The lawyers told a news briefing the catalyst for the group's change was a Bush administration policy that made it easier for evangelical churches to obtain federal money for so-called faith-based programs. Critics say the policy blurs the line between the separation of church and state.
The lawsuit argued The Salvation Army's new employment policy violated anti-discrimination principles of the Constitution. It said employees lost their jobs or were threatened with firing when they declined to reveal their religious practices and opposed spending government money to support the group's religious mission.
The Salvation Army Greater New York Division get $89 million a year in taxpayer money, mostly from the state, New York City and Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island.
Plaintiff Margaret Geissman, former human resources manager, said she was questioned numerous times.
"I didn't worry about it until they questioned me more and more to the point where I really felt harassed," said Geissman, a self-described conservative and practicing Catholic.
The plaintiffs want the court to order The Salvation Army to stop using the questionnaire. The lawsuit also seeks unspecified monetary damages.
reuters.com
lurqer |
