Pennsylvania residents might be interested to learn that four flight attendants have filed a lawsuit against Delta Airlines, alleging that the airline engages in anti-Jewish and anti-Semitic behavior. The plaintiffs state that the airline has a pattern of intentional discrimination against both employees and passengers who are Jewish. Two of the flight attendants are described as having an ethnic background that is Jewish/Hebrew/Israeli while the other two say they were disciplined because of their associations with others of that background.
One flight attendant says that she was granted leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act and that the airline fired her because she was Jewish and not because she did not turn up for work as the airline claims. One non-Jewish attendant says that she faced suspension without pay and demotion after she helped a Jewish friend. Another says the same thing happened to her after she shared her corporate travel pass with a Jewish friend.
The lawsuit also says that the airline encourages an anti-Semitic attitude with management. There is a stereotype that Jewish people are aggressive and behave inappropriately along with requiring special accommodations such as a kosher meal.
Discrimination in the workplace because of a person’s race, religion or national origin is illegal. There are also several other protected classes. People who believe they are facing workplace discrimination because of these or other reasons might want to talk to an attorney about their rights. The attorney may advise them to document the discrimination. An employer may try to claim that an employee’s suspension, demotion, denial of promotion or termination was performance-related, so it may also be helpful for an employee to present evidence of positive feedback from supervisors.
Source: International Business Times, “Delta Flight Attendants’ Lawsuit Claims Airline ‘Hostile’ To Jews, Israelis“, Benjamin Fearnow, Jan. 2, 2018