The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a religious discrimination lawsuit against UPS after the package delivery company allegedly violated federal law.

Papers filed in federal District Court in New York State allege that United Parcel Service discriminated against applicants (and its current employees) worldwide, based on religious practices that conflict with their uniform and appearance standards.

UPS does not allow male employees in customer contact or supervisory positions to wear any kind of beard and prohibits the growth of hair below collar length.  Records indicate that since 2004, UPS has failed to hire or promote any individual who does not comply.  This includes any employee or applicant whose religious practices conflict with the policy.

The issue is that UPS does not appear to provide any kind of religious accommodations, specifically at its facilities throughout the US.

There are also situations noted in the filed papers that “prove” UPS violated anti-bias laws.  For example, one anecdote told the story of a Muslim who wears a beard as part of his religious observance who applied for a driver helper position.  This man was told he had to shave his beard in order to get the position and was also told “God would understand”.   Additionally, he was informed that he could apply for a lower-paying job if he wanted to keep his beard.

UPS is the United States’ largest package delivery company and operates in every state of the country.  They have yet to release an official statement.