Today’s blacklisted American: Post Office forces Christian worker to quit rather than work on Sunday
Gerald Groff, blacklisted by the post office
They’re coming for you next: Because the U.S. Post Office refused to honor mailman Gerald Groff’s desire to observe the Christian Sabbath of Sunday, he was forced to quit, even though numerous civil rights laws were specifically written to require businesses and government agencies like the post office to accommodate his religious beliefs.
He began his career with the USPS in 2012 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, as a mail carrier. When the postal service began delivering packages on Sundays for Amazon, Gerald asked for a religious accommodation, which is protected under federal law. The postmaster granted his request, and as part of the accommodation, Gerald agreed to work extra shifts during the week. He even switched posts and accepted a lower position in order to be able to abide by his beliefs.
After initially honoring Gerald’s accommodation, the USPS changed position and started scheduling him to work Sundays. Being forced to choose between his faith and his job, Gerald sued the USPS for trampling on his First Amendment rights and violating federal law.
As Groff explained in an interview, “All of a sudden I guess — I assume she got pressure from above her to change things — and she told me in rather unkind words, either do it my way or hit the road.”
Groff then got himself transferred to a smaller post office that did not require Sunday work, but that soon changed as well. Not only were his bosses insisting he work on Sunday, they would institute disciplinary actions against him. At that point he was forced to quit.
With the help of several law firms, including the non-profit First Liberty, Groff has since been suing for his rights. Though the federal government for years had accommodated all religious individuals, based on numerous civil rights laws, in recent years the courts have ruled in favor of businesses so that they no longer need to provide the same religious accommodations. Worse, these rulings have not been even-handed. Though the courts and government have bent over backwards to accommodate Muslims, women, minorities, the disabled, and the sexually perverse, people with Christian beliefs like Groff have been told by the courts that their beliefs are essentially worthless. They must either abandon those beliefs, or become second class citizens.
Groff’s case, which is now heading to the Supreme Court, is an attempt to change this. While the lower courts have so far consistently ruled against Groff, his lawyers hope his case will get the court to bring the legal standard back to what Congress intended when it initially passed the 1964 Civil Rights Act, whereby those who believe in the Judeo-Christian religions will be treated the same as queers, lesbians, and Muslim radicals, and be allowed to practice their faith without discrimination.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Gerald Groff, blacklisted by the post office
They’re coming for you next: Because the U.S. Post Office refused to honor mailman Gerald Groff’s desire to observe the Christian Sabbath of Sunday, he was forced to quit, even though numerous civil rights laws were specifically written to require businesses and government agencies like the post office to accommodate his religious beliefs.
He began his career with the USPS in 2012 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, as a mail carrier. When the postal service began delivering packages on Sundays for Amazon, Gerald asked for a religious accommodation, which is protected under federal law. The postmaster granted his request, and as part of the accommodation, Gerald agreed to work extra shifts during the week. He even switched posts and accepted a lower position in order to be able to abide by his beliefs.
After initially honoring Gerald’s accommodation, the USPS changed position and started scheduling him to work Sundays. Being forced to choose between his faith and his job, Gerald sued the USPS for trampling on his First Amendment rights and violating federal law.
As Groff explained in an interview, “All of a sudden I guess — I assume she got pressure from above her to change things — and she told me in rather unkind words, either do it my way or hit the road.”
Groff then got himself transferred to a smaller post office that did not require Sunday work, but that soon changed as well. Not only were his bosses insisting he work on Sunday, they would institute disciplinary actions against him. At that point he was forced to quit.
With the help of several law firms, including the non-profit First Liberty, Groff has since been suing for his rights. Though the federal government for years had accommodated all religious individuals, based on numerous civil rights laws, in recent years the courts have ruled in favor of businesses so that they no longer need to provide the same religious accommodations. Worse, these rulings have not been even-handed. Though the courts and government have bent over backwards to accommodate Muslims, women, minorities, the disabled, and the sexually perverse, people with Christian beliefs like Groff have been told by the courts that their beliefs are essentially worthless. They must either abandon those beliefs, or become second class citizens.
Groff’s case, which is now heading to the Supreme Court, is an attempt to change this. While the lower courts have so far consistently ruled against Groff, his lawyers hope his case will get the court to bring the legal standard back to what Congress intended when it initially passed the 1964 Civil Rights Act, whereby those who believe in the Judeo-Christian religions will be treated the same as queers, lesbians, and Muslim radicals, and be allowed to practice their faith without discrimination.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
I’m not religious. My religion gene is not only recessive, it’s nonexistent.
Even I wouldn’t force a Christian to work Sundays, or a Jew or 7th Day Adventist to work Saturdays.
I owned and operated a small business for 27 years. I was open 6 days a week. Frequently worked on Sundays when I was closed.
What I find myself resistant to is paid maternity/paternity leave. Why should I be scrood for no love?
(Gun shy)
Um, reading that, I may have unintentionally allowed people to interpret that last sentence as being insulting.
It was not my intent.
I just retired from the U S Postal Service after 43 years. I have seen a lot of changes in this organization. I was hired with a group of 30 people. After the 90-day probation there were 10 of us left. After a year there were 2. Back “in the day”, they could and would fire you if you didn’t perform. Now, they hardly fire anyone, for any reason. They will however fire you for not reporting as scheduled.
I was with the PO 23 years before I had enough seniority to bid on a job that gave me weekends off. I had a family during this time and beliefs of my own, but I knew when I was hired what the job required. Now it sounds like this gentleman worked out a deal with an inexperienced Supervisor to get Sundays off, nice if you can pull it off. All his coworkers however, with more seniority, probably started complaining, rightfully so. I am sure they would like Sundays off too. He got away with it for a while, count your blessings and your good luck and move on. This gentleman was not Blacklisted. He was made to fall back into line and to earn his seniority, to rightfully get those Sundays off.
I was expecting this gentleman to be a young person. You know, someone with “Entitlements”. Imagine my surprise to see a middle-aged man. Someone who should know better. I expect I will see him next moving into a house next to an airport and suing them and the city for making excessive noise.
I’ve never known that the USPS works 7/365.
I’ve always appreciated its (cough, cough) world-class efficiency, but never knew its internal politics were so Draconian.
Selling yourself to the company store, the Union creed, has its own costs.
That we pay for.
Frankly, I’ve never considered working for any government. I have principles.
They work 24/7/365 as do FedX, UPS, and Amazon.
In the 90s DHL was going to come over here and do to USPS, FedX and UPS what they had done to Luft Post and Deutsche Post. It did not work out well for them. Here’s 60¢ and a letter, have it in Anchorage by Friday. When I came in, in the 70s, 60 to 70% of USPS employees were ex-military. Today it is probably still at least 25%. I have even worked with people that were India and South Korea ex-military. That management “style” does tend to bleed (cough, cough) over a bit. It’s not R. Lee Ermey, but it used to be strict.
The Union and Management are in cahoots and just trying to stay out of each others way. They’re practicing to be Politicians.
We all work for the government. You pay taxes, you work for them. I just got double dipped. Wait, you owned a small business, your business paid taxes and you paid taxes. You got double dipped too.
Cheers
Well…. if this guy showed up for work wearing a dress or needed Sunday off for drag-queen story hour, there would be a different outcome.
And therein exists the problem.
Miracle on 34th Street
a somewhat relevant scene
https://youtu.be/gOl19-30dPg?t=161
Rudy:
Thank you for your firsthand knowledge explaining how it works. I had a family member who, 30 years ago, got hired by the Postal Service and they gave up the ghost after one month. They said it was a tough job, much more so than they expected.
Rudy,
“We all work for the government. You pay taxes, you work for them.”
My 27-year small business was a tax accountancy.
My clients paid my taxes.
“Anatomy of the State”
Murray Rothbard
https://youtu.be/eVEBrEjE36k
1:00:01
Another thought:
My clients paid my taxes at the same time that I saved them money.
Thus the 27 years.
Wayne, he may get a few Sundays off, but his coworkers with more seniority are going to have a say about it eventually. As far scheduling goes in the PO, seniority rules.
You are most welcome David.
GaryMike, “My clients paid my taxes at the same time that I saved them money.” Now that’s how to play the game, well done.
Related:
JOE BIDEN: A JACKASS BXXXXXXX MAN (Please copy and share)
Now I have never personally liked Joe Biden. I always saw through his “Lunch box Joe” politician self-aggrandizing and bloviating presentation. I personally find him unacceptable as a person and dangerous as a high-level empowered politician. Very dangerous indeed.
And my judgement regarding him appears to be supported by his son Hunters very public life choices and his own daughters’ apparent writings in her diary about “Inappropriate showers with my father”. Oy, even I would have not thought that he would go there. Lots of mental illness and perversion flying around Delaware (And everywhere else for that matter).
Joe is currently the mouthpiece facade for those with actual un and anti American agendas (D). Oh, and they are both very primarily interested in their personal enrichment as a bonus, every Socialist / Marxist / (D) is. But those who put the words in Joe’s mouth and steer his administration are who is running the show. And Joe is but a squinty eyed worn-out white man actor in the show.
The other day Joe makes a speech and includes this in it:
“President Joe Biden said Tuesday while in Pennsylvania that “brave right wing Americans” who claim the Second Amendment is meant to fight back against a tyrannical government would be obliterated by the military.”
Joe both demonstrates his willful ignorance regarding the Constitution and what it attempts to accomplish, which is ultimately for the ability of the American people when, not if their government becomes tyrannical and they become captive to it and are no longer free. No, no, no Joe throws down and makes his bets and in effect promotes violence and civil war.
Joe Biden, a Jackass, Bxxxxxxx man, who will become more and more dangerous as the elections approach and the people seek to comment on and direct what it is that they desire in THEIR country. And I suspect that it is not him and his kind.
Why do politician lie? Because they have to.
https://thecount.com/wp-content/uploads/Joe-Biden-the-joker_wazaap-500×598.jpg
Rudy,
“…that’s how to play the game…”
Please don’t think or believe that this post is about you or your post.
This post is about informing you and all others that in my experience everyone is gaming “the system”.
Everyone.
No exceptions.
28 years never was going to be a thing once our federal legislative overlords made tax professionals automatically complicit with their clients who lied to them to avoid taxes.
We’re not fact-checking police. We’re numbers-reporting folks. We helped clients report the numbers they told us to report.
No 28. Sorry.
.