A company in North Carolina company is being sued after firing two employees for refusing to participate in the firm’s daily Christian prayer meetings, local station ABC News 11 reports.
The lawsuit, filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, alleges that residential services firm Aurora Pro Services fired employees John McGaha and Mackenzie Saunders for refusing to take part in daily Christian rituals, which the company said were mandatory and that continued employment at the firm was contingent upon attendance.
Local news ABC News 11 reports that the lawsuit, which was filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on behalf of employees John McGaha and Mackenzie Saunders, alleges that daily prayer meetings at the company were mandatory and that continued employment at the firm was contingent upon attendance.
The two employees allege that the prayer meetings went against their respective religious beliefs.
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The rituals stretched out to lengths of up to 45 minutes, the the suit says, adding that the leaders of the sessions would seek prayers for “poor-performing employees who were identified by name.”
Mackenzie Saunders, a self-described agnostic, said that when she told the company she did not want to keep attending the meetings, she was fired on the basis that she was “not a good fit” for the firm.
Similarly, John McGaha said that when he complained about the meetings, the company slashed his salary in half before being fired shortly after.
