"Cargill, Teamsters will pay $1.6M to settle civil rights dispute over Muslim workers’ prayer breaks", 14 Sep 2018

A Fort Morgan meatpacking plant and the union that represents its employees will pay settlements to Muslim workers whose civil rights were violated when they were denied prayer breaks and then fired after they complained.  Cargill Meat Solutions will pay $1.5 million and the Teamsters Local Union No. 455 will pay $153,000 to resolve complaints filed in 2015 after the Somali-American workers walked off the job over the prayer breaks dispute, the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment Commission announced...The company and the union did not accept the EEOC’s findings that they discriminated against the employees because of their religion, but decided to settle to avoid lengthy legal proceedings.  Cargill now allows prayer breaks and provides designated areas for the workers to practice their religion...The settlement will be paid to 138 people... The company and the union have agreed to change policies and to provide training to managers and union representatives as part of the settlement...The union failed to represent the workers because its leadership did not pursue grievances on their behalf to Cargill, the EEOC determined.  It was a rare instance where a labor union was found in violation of federal civil rights laws...Cargill maintained that it always had allowed its workers who practice Islam to take breaks for prayer...