Ruling on a complaint filed by the American Jewish Congress, the New York States Commission Against Discrimination held today that a business firm must “accommodate itself to the reasonable needs of employees or prospective employees in connection with religious holiday observances,”
Commissioner Elmer A. Carter ruled that a refusal to do so, and resultant discharge of the employee, would be contrary to the anti-discrimination law. The commissioner declared however, that the employee must give the employer timely notice of his desire to have time off.
The commissioner dismissed the complaint against the brokerage house of Hayden, Stone and Company alleging that it had discharged a Jewish employee because he wished to leave early to observe Passover. His decision was on the grounds that the employee had not given the firm sufficient notice.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
