A Pentecostal woman who refused to wear pants as part of her bus driver uniform has prompted the region's transit system to implement new policies to accommodate employees' religious practices.
The woman, Gloria Jones, filed a complaint last September, claiming that she was not hired as a Metro bus operator due to religious discrimination, according to Steven Taubenkibel, spokesman for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.
Jones met the qualifications for the position; however, she declined to wear the pants required for the uniform because of her Apostolic Pentecostal faith. She made a verbal request to be allowed to wear a skirt, and Metro terminated her application.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Justice announced a settlement between Jones and the transit agency, which agreed to pay her more than $47,000, according to the Associated Press. The agency also agreed to pay $2,500 to two others who said Metro didn't accommodate their beliefs.
The agency will also be implementing new procedures to better accommodate employee's religious practices, including the creation of a request form and training for supervisors on the issue.
"The agency is going to work within reasonable efforts to accommodate employees," said Taubenkibel, explaining that each request will be taken on a case-by-case basis.
Jones can now reapply for the position, and if hired, would need to request an exemption to the uniform policy, a Metro spokeswoman said.
The Orthodox Union, the nation's largest Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization, said the proposed Workplace Religious Freedom Act, which has been stalled in Congress, would help provide a "single, balanced national standard for the protection of religious freedom."
. . .