Apple to Change Religious Accommodation Policy After Shabbat Discrimination Case

Apple will pay $150,000 and change its religious accommodation policies to settle a federal lawsuit accusing the company of failing to accommodate a Jewish employee’s observance of Shabbat and later firing him.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced the settlement on Thursday, nearly a year after filing the religious discrimination and retaliation lawsuit against Apple.

The lawsuit centered on Tyler Steele, a longtime employee at an Apple Store in Reston, Virginia. Steele had worked for the company for about 16 years and consistently received positive performance reviews, according to the EEOC.

After converting to Judaism in 2023, Steele requested that Apple not schedule him from Friday evening through Saturday evening so he could observe Shabbat.

His previous manager had accommodated his observance, but a new manager rejected the request after Apple introduced a scheduling policy requiring employees to be available on weekends. Steele eventually worked on Shabbat because he feared losing his job, according to the federal lawsuit.

The EEOC said Apple later began disciplining Steele for alleged violations of the company’s grooming policies. The company fired him in January 2024 after he complained about religious discrimination and reminded his supervisor about an upcoming religious absence.

Federal authorities accused Apple of firing Steele because of his faith and in retaliation for his complaints about the manager’s comments and refusal to accommodate his Shabbat observance. Apple denied wrongdoing in court filings.

“No employee should be forced to choose between their faith and their livelihood,” EEOC Washington Field Office Director Mindy Weinstein said.

Under the two-year settlement, Apple will pay Steele $80,000 in back wages and another $70,000 in compensatory damages.

The agreement also requires Apple to update its religious observance policy. Managers who reject requests for religious accommodations will now have to provide employees with a written explanation for the decision.

Apple must also train relevant managers and human resources personnel on federal religious accommodation requirements and submit periodic reports to the EEOC concerning rejected accommodation requests and religious discrimination complaints.