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Home » Archives » Legislative Issues » California Legislative Issues Archive » Talking Points

Talking Points for AB 1964

Talking Points on AB 1964:

Why do we need a Workplace Religious Freedom Act?

  • Every business day, Californians lose their job for no other “crime” than their faith.
  • The promise of equal employment opportunity has eluded thousands on account of their religious observances or appearance.
  • People of all faiths want to attend regular weekly services, and participate in a faith community. Employers can readily accommodate such scheduling needs.
  • People of many faiths express their faith in some manner through their appearance, with beards, headcoverings and the like. This should not disqualify them from employment, or require them to be segregated from the public.
  • Legitimate uniform and grooming requirements need not be so restrictive as to exclude entire religious groups from entire industries.
  • Employers are confused about their legal obligations, and too often, do very little to provide religious accommodation.
  • The legal standard requiring employers to demonstrate a legitimate undue hardship to justify denial of religious accommodation is a sensible balance of rights and interests between the employer and the worker. The standard has been “significant difficulty or expense,” but employers don’t realize it. AB 1964 will make this clear and explicit.
  • Employers can provide religious accommodations far more often and easily than they even realize.
  • The problem for Seventh-day Adventists being unable to obtain Sabbath accommodation has reached epidemic proportions. AB 1964 is expected to alleviate many of these problems.

RELATED CONTENT

Comments from Alan J. Reinach, Esq on signing of AB 1964 VICTORY - AB 1964 Signed by Governor Brown AB 1964 Update DON’T JUST MOURN ANTI-RELIGIOUS VIOLENCE! SHOW YOUR OUTRAGE Contact Your Legislator Legislative Update Yamada’s Workplace Religious Freedom Act of 2012 Advances AB 1964 Postponed Assemblymember Yamada’s Workplace Religious Freedom Act of 2012 Passed by the State Assembly Workplace Religious Freedom Act Passed by the Sate Assembly Testimony of Alan J. Reinach, Esq. - Assembly Appropriations Committee NARLA West Testimony Testimony of Alan J. Reinach, Esq., Church State Council Executive Director Text of AB 1964 Pictures of Committee Hearings FACT SHEET ON AB 1964 Church State Council Legislative Update! Workplace Religious Freedom Act of 2012 Clears First Policy Committee The Workplace Religious Freedom Act New Congress Aims to Protect People of Faith in the Workplace A Voice on the Hill: NARLA and the New Congress NARLA Calls on Congress to Address Workplace Religious Discrimination May 5, 2006 - McCain Keynote Address / NARLA-West Lobbies Congress in Support of WRFA Adventist Leaders Meet with President Bush, Discuss Workplace Religious Freedom Freedom at Work Still Under Fire September 8, 2004 - Home Stretch in Push for Workplace Religious Freedom Act, S-893 July 13, 2004 - 21,000 E-mails Sent Nationwide in Support of Workplace Religious Freedom June 21, 2004 - Workplace Religious Freedom Act, S-893 June 14, 2004 - The ACLU Attacks the Workplace Religious Stand Up and Be Counted Religious Discrimination Claims Are On The Rise Workplace Religious Freedom Act of 2005 Momentum Building March 21, 2005 – Workplace Religious Freedom Act of 2005 Introduced in Congress Press Release from Senator Rick Santorum 6/30/06: Federal Court Rules For Sabbath-keeping Worker