New York City Employers Subject to Expanded Religious Accommodation Obligations

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the New York State Human Rights Law, and the New York City Human Rights Law all protect employees from workplace discrimination based on religious beliefs and practices, and impose an obligation on New York employers to provide reasonable accommodations for the religious needs and practices of employees and prospective employees. Employers’ obligation to provide religious accommodations to their New York City employees, however, will be expanded by legislation passed unanimously by the New York City Council, called “The Workplace Religious Freedom Act.” (The effective date is dependent on whether Mayor Bloomberg signs the legislation or the City Council needs to enact the legislation over the Mayor’s veto.)