New York: A Sikh-American employee at the Walt Disney World in Florida, who was barred from working in view of the guests due his religious appearance, for seven years, has achieved a significant victory, with the company agreeing to end the segregation and accommodate his religious beliefs.
When Gurdit Singh was offered a job in 2008 as a mail carrier at Walt Disney World, he was thrilled. On his first day, however, it quickly became apparent that his new job might not be the path to happily ever after he had imagined.
In a letter to Disney, Sikh Coalition and American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said the “segregation” relegated Singh to a mail route that had a greater workload than other routes.
It created “animosity” among his co-workers because he could not assist in operating other routes and it precluded his opportunities for professional advancement.
Following the intervention by Sikh Coalition and ACLU, Walt Disney World finally reversed its decision and granted Singh a religious accommodation.
Singh will no longer be kept hidden from public view of Disney visitors because of his turban and beard, and he will be permitted to run all mail routes just like every other mail carrier, Sikh Coalition said.
“For seven years, Singh was restricted to delivering mail to Disney’s corporate offices – a mail route that shielded him from areas where Disney guests congregate,” it said, adding, all of Singh’s co-workers rotated their routes every three weeks and delivered mail throughout the park.
Singh had contacted the Coalition to help him assert his right to be free of discrimination in the workplace. Earlier in 2015, the Sikh Coalition partnered with the ACLU and sent a “forceful demand letter” to Disney explaining that its treatment of Singh violated the law.
“No one should have to face daily humiliation because of his or her religious beliefs. I am also grateful to Disney and hope this decision opens the door for other Sikhs and religious minorities who wish to work for this company,” he said in a statement.
The ACLU said, “Because Disney is a major multinational corporation, its decision to grant Singh a religious accommodation is an important step forward in achieving workplace equality for Sikhs and others of minority faiths, and Disney should be applauded.”
We hope that Disney will continue to be more welcoming of minority-faith employees and that other companies will follow Disney’s shining example. By adopting more inclusive religious accommodation policies, employers like Disney can show that happy endings are not just for fairy tales and that dreams do come true.