Bart Jansen Religious bias by JFK contractor alleged
The New York City Human Rights Commission announced Wednesday allegations of religious discrimination against Pax Assist, a contractor that provides wheelchair assistance to passengers at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
The company, which serves 32 airlines and employs more than 250 workers at JFK’s Terminal 4, allegedly denied breaks to Muslims for daily prayers or for eating after fasting for Ramadan, according to the commission.
Supervisors at Pax Assist allegedly harassed Muslim workers over a radio system when they requested break time with messages such as “we’ll give you a break on our time, not your time” and “we don’t care about Ramadan,” according to the commission.
If confirmed, the allegations could carry a maximum $250,000 civil penalty, with potential compensatory damages.
“We will not tolerate religious discrimination of any kind in New York City,” said Hollis Pfitsch, deputy commissioner of the law enforcement bureau. “Employees of every faith have a legal right to request religious accommoda- tions and should not be harassed or discriminated against by their employer for requesting break time to observe their faith.”
After receiving the complaint last week, Pax Assist has 30 days to respond. The company didn’t reply to USA TODAY’s request for comment.
The commission and Pax Assist could negotiate a resolution to the charges. If not, the case will be heard by an administrative judge, who could issue a recommendation for a fine or other resolution. The commission would then consider the recommendation and could raise or lower a proposed fine.
Isha Jahan, 24, of New York worked for Pax Assist, taking passengers to gates for four months in 2016. She told USA TODAY that supervisors sometimes refused to let her take a break for prayers until she threatened to tell the union.
“It’s important — very important — in the Muslim religion to pray,” she said.
Jahan faced a tougher challenge in her observance of Ramadan, a month of fasting from sunrise to sunset. She asked to push her break back to 8 p.m. so she could eat after her fast but was refused. She said she felt sick when she wasn’t able to eat, and it made her “very emotionally upset.” She has since found another job.