SALDEF Conducts Congressional Briefing, Urges Sikh Americans to Contact Congress about Religious Freedom April 8, 2005–A critical piece of legislation for the Sikh American community, the Workplace Religious Freedom Act (WRFA) of 2005 (Senate Bill 677/House Bill 1445), is again being considered in Congress. This legislation is designed to reinstate protections in America’s civil rights laws which encourage employers to reasonably accommodate the religious needs of their employees in the workplace. Today, SALDEF’s National Director, Preetmohan Singh, conducted his third briefing in six months for congressional staff along with leaders from other civil rights and religious liberties organizations. SALDEF is encouraging the community to immediately contact their representatives in Congress and urge them to support this bill (see sample letter below). Typical issues that would be affected by this legislation include allowing for religious attire (such as turbans, yarmulkes, and head-scarves) and for flexible scheduling arrangements to facilitate holiday observances (such as agreeing to work on an Easter holiday in order to observe Vaisakhi). The legislation is bipartisan in support with Senators Rick Santorum (R-PA) and John Kerry (D-MA) serving as its lead sponsors in the Senate, along with 13 other Senators. The House currently has six co-sponsors, with Representatives Mark Souder (R-IN) and Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) leading the way. WRFA is also supported by a diverse coalition of more than 45 religious and civil rights organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League, American Jewish Committee, National Council of Churches, Southern Baptist Convention, National Council of Muslim Women, Seventh Day Adventist Church and many others. We urge you to contact your members of the House and Senate today and relay to them the importance of supporting the Workplace Religious Freedom Act. Please telephone, fax, and/or e-mail (listed in the order or importance) your representatives about WRFA, especially if they have not cosponsored this legislation already. You can contact your representatives in the House and Senate by calling the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121. The names and contact information for elected representatives can be found at www.senate.gov and www.house.gov. Regular mail is still being diverted for screening before it can be delivered to Capitol Hill, so do not use this method. Please inform SALDEF at legislation@saldef.org with your name, state, and the representative(s) you contact. To learn more about this bill and its cosponsors, please click here http://thomas.loc.gov and type in “Workplace Religious Freedom Act.” SAMPLE Message to Members of Congress: My name is [_____] and I reside at [home address, city, state, zip]. As my elected representative, I would like to urge you to cosponsor the Workplace Religious Freedom Act (H.R.1445/S.677.) As a Sikh American, I believe WRFA provides a solution to two of the most important issues for members of our community in the workplace: religious dress and flexible scheduling. With WRFA intact, we can avoid repeating situations where Sikh Americans have had to engage in expensive litigation to receive reasonable accommodation at minimal or no cost to employers. WRFA also provides that accommodation needed only be provided to an employee who is able to perform the essential functions of the job. As you may know, according the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), charges relating to race, gender, and national origin grew by 15 percent in the past decade, while those involving religion increased by over 80 percent. This spike in religious claims was particularly severe after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, when Sikh Americans and others faced greater hostility at the workplace. The bill is a fundamental step toward protecting religious liberty and I hope you will support it. Sincerely, [Your Name]
