Marriott worker scheduled to work Sabbath in violation of her religion, suit says

A Marriott employee’s new boss told her she had to work the Sabbath, in violation of her religion, after she had received an exemption for two years, according to a federal lawsuit filed in Florida.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said it failed to reach an early settlement with the Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation and Marriott Ownership Resorts, so it filed a religious discrimination lawsuit in the Middle District of Florida on May 5.

“It is not our company’s practice to comment on employment matters,” Marriott said in an emailed statement to McClatchy News. “However, we would like to stress that the complaint filed against Marriott Vacations Worldwide does not reflect our values and our caring culture. We have policies in place that prohibit unlawful discrimination on the basis of race, gender and other protected characteristics such as religious beliefs.”

The former employee, a Seventh-day Adventist, said she told her employer that she couldn’t accept the job if she had to work Saturdays because that was the day of worship and rest in her religious practice, according to the lawsuit.

“Because her religion is central to her life, (the woman) discloses her religion to potential employers and informs potential employers that she cannot work Saturdays during interviews,” the commission’s attorneys wrote in the filing.

Her boss at the time granted that request, and she was hired in May 2021 selling timeshares at one of the hotel chain’s properties in Orlando, the filing says.

The woman said she did well at the company, and in 2022 transferred to a position that involved higher commission with the same managers, but then two new managers began to oversee her role, according to the complaint.

Her new managers asked her former boss about her exemption from working Saturdays, then they informed her she was going to be placed on “overage,” which was typically seen as a punishment in the division, and scheduled her to work Saturdays for May 2023, the lawsuit says.

The employee told the manager that working the Sabbath violates her religion, but he told her she had to come in anyway, so she reported to human resources that she was being discriminated against for her religion, according to the filing.

She didn’t come in for her Saturday shifts in May, then she had a call with HR toward the end of the month, in which the HR representative told her she had to work Saturdays if she was scheduled, the lawsuit says.

She went to her regional director, who told her the same, and she continued to be scheduled to work Saturdays, the complaint says.

She resigned June 1, 2023, according to the lawsuit.

Federal officials say Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation and Marriott Ownership Resorts failed to provide reasonable religious accommodation, retaliated against their employee and constructively discharged her by creating a condition in which she had no choice but to leave.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is seeking back pay and punitive damages on the former employee’s behalf.

This story was originally published May 13, 2025 at 2:10 PM.