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| Sikhs go to court over turban logo |
| 2005-07-16 |
| A NUMBER of Sikh transit employees in New York have filed discrimination charges over a policy requiring them to display company logos on their turbans. One case involved a federal lawsuit filed on behalf of Kevin Harrington, a Sikh subway train operator who has been forced to wear an Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) logo on his turban since January. Five Sikh station agents, meanwhile, filed formal complaints on the same issue with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The employees charge that the headware logo policy - introduced after the September 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Centre - amounts to discrimination. "The MTA honoured me for driving my train in reverse away from the towers on 9/11 and leading passengers to safety. They called me a 'hero of 9/11'," Mr Harrington said. "I didn't have a corporate logo on my turban then. Why am I being threatened with reassignment in a rail yard unless I wear one now?" A spokeswoman for New York City Transit declined to comment on the pending lawsuit, but confirmed that policy allowed for only MTA-approved headware. "Sikhs are allowed to wear their turbans, but they must have the logo," she said. The Harrington lawsuit was filed on his behalf by the Centre for Constitutional Rights and the Sikh Coalition, an organisation founded in the wake of the September 11 attacks to educate Americans about Sikhism. A number of New York Sikhs were badly beaten after the attacks, after being mistaken for Arabs. Two years ago, a Sikh man filed a lawsuit against the New York Police Department and its chief Raymond Kelly after being dismissed from the force for refusing to remove his turban or beard. |
| Posted by:Spavirt Pheng6042 |
| #8 But Sikhs in Indian army/police wear the emblem on their turbans. |
| Posted by: Phick Ulaitch8087 2005-07-16 17:45 |
| #7 If they don't like Sikhs working for them maybe they can hire some Salafists; they're much more flexible about any special dressing requirements, and usually keep their bombs hidden under an outer layer of clothing so as to not offend people. Until they trigger the detonator, of course. |
| Posted by: Phil Fraering 2005-07-16 11:50 |
| #6 Oh, don't be messing with Sikhs. They are usually hard working, middle class, respectable types whose only quirk is the turban, beard and knife (a very small, ceremonial one, if they have to.) They are also very big on giving to charity, and have several of their own charities that are very non-sectarian. I was very annoyed when the Army pitched them out for refusing to cut their beards. Dozens of top-notch NCOs were lost in the process, all because some wonk just couldn't deal with beards. And making a Sikh wear a logo on his turban is like demanding that Christians wear a McDonalds sticker over their crucifix, because "it's company policy" and crucifixes might "make some people uncomfortable". I hope they win the lawsuit, and I predict they will. They get hassled over the turban, beard and knife waaay more then other religions get crap for their eccentricities. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2005-07-16 11:22 |
| #5 I think SPoD's got the solution. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-07-16 08:14 |
| #4 Last time I heard, working at the MTA was voluntary. If the uniform was a pink tutu, then that's what you wear. Don't like it? Work somewhere else. |
| Posted by: ed 2005-07-16 06:57 |
| #3 What kind of a Sikh name is Kevin Harrington? It's New York, just roll with it. |
| Posted by: AzCat 2005-07-16 01:29 |
| #2 What kind of a Sikh name is Kevin Harrington? |
| Posted by: Penguin 2005-07-16 00:24 |
| #1 If the MTA wants Logos (stupid) they should be providing offical MTA turbans otherwise forget it. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet 0’ Doom 2005-07-16 00:07 |