Tyler Steele, an Apple Store employee in Reston, Virginia, for 16 years, consistently received positive performance reviews.
But then, in August 2023, he decided to convert and asked to make adjustments to observe Shabbat so that he would not have to work on Fridays and Saturdays.
According to a Reuters report published in 'Globes,' the store manager of the technology giant made anti-Semitic comments against him, insulted him - and forced him to work on Shabbat.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said the store manager denied his request because of Apple's scheduling policy, which prohibits him from taking both Friday and Saturday off. So, fearing he would lose his job, Steele worked on Saturday - contrary to his religious beliefs.
According to an official statement from the Commission at the time, Apple began "punishing" the employee who converted for an alleged violation of company policy, and shortly after he mentioned a day off related to religious reasons, Apple fired him in January 2024.
The commission's announcement said that the commission filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, seeking additional damages for Steele, including punitive damages for "malicious and reckless conduct.".
The statement reads: "Apple unlawfully failed to address an employee's Jewish faith and, as a result, fired him because of his religion and in retaliation for a complaint of discrimination based on religion.".
There was no response from Apple.
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