Mesaba sued over alleged religious discrimination

Mesaba Saab turboprop aircraft
A Saab turboprop aircraft at MSP, part of the Mesaba fleet.
MPR Photo/Jeff Horwich

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is suing Mesaba Airlines, alleging the airline refused to reasonably accommodate a Jewish woman who wanted to change her hours to avoid working on the Sabbath.

The EEOC says the woman, Laura Vallejos, told the airline before she was hired that she would expect such flexibility.

But during her probationary period, EEOC attorney Nick Pladson says Vallejos was assigned to work during her Sabbath and not permitted to change her work hours.

"Miss Vallejos was denied the opportunity to swap shifts with other employees, other probationary employees, and was terminated when she left work at sundown," said Pladson. "They should have at least engaged in a discussion with her to explore other options."

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The ECOC says the airline now permits such shift swaps for new employees.

The ECOC is seeking back pay and compensatory damages for the woman. The agency also wants assurances from Mesaba that it won't implement such offending policies in the future, and will train managers about addressing workers' religious beliefs.

Mesaba, which is part of Northwest Airlines, was not available for comment.

The EEOC says religious discrimination filings have risen from about 1,700 in 1996 to nearly 2,900 in 2007.