This
is a letter that can be used when requesting accommodation for Sabbaths off by
those who work in the United States of America and her territories. This should not be used as the first request. It is in your best interest to maintain
cordial relations with your employer and in no wise appear eager to sue. However, if your request is denied or your
employment terminated, this letter can be used to explain your protections
under US law.

Under
Title VII, U.S.C. 42, your employer:

1. Cannot demand an explanation or justification for your
   sincere religious belief;
2. A letter from a clergyman &/or recognized
   denomination explaining your belief.

It is your obligation to
clearly explain your need and provide up to a year’s listing of dates you
require off. In order to terminate you,
the burden rests on your employer to demonstrate a negative financial impact on
the business should your request be granted.

This letter is posted in a Word document. You will need to fill in certain information
that is in red in the document. Change
the color back to black and personalize with your individual information. If your letter needs to go to multiple
individuals, add their names and titles in the heading. Keep a copy for yourself and sign each letter
in blue ink. Rather than hand deliver,
send each letter by certified mail with a return receipt requested.

Employer name, title
Any Street Address
Anytown, State ZIP

RE:
Request for work accommodation for religious beliefs

Dear Mr./Ms.
(Employer’s Name):

Under Title VII of the Civil Rights
Act of 1964, U.S.C. 42, employers are required to reasonably accommodate the
religious practices of an employee unless doing so would create undue hardship
upon the employer. Under this law, I am
not required to justify or prove the validity of my sincere religious belief
nor must I present a letter from a clergyman in support of my belief. The law’s intention provides protection and
accommodation for a broad spectrum of religious practices and beliefs. This includes protection for individual
religious beliefs that are not based upon the recognized teachings of any
specific organization or religion. The
fact that I am not a member of a government-recognized organization does not
exclude me from protection under this law.

As previously explained, my family and I worship on the seventh-day Sabbath
of the ancient luni-solar calendar, rather than the modern Gregorian calendar
in common use in Western societies. This
is a sincerely held religious belief and, as such, is clearly protected under
Title VII, U.S.C. 42.

While an employer is not required
to provide accommodation if there is undue hardship involved, the United States
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has clear rulings on precisely what
constitutes “undue hardship.” In order
to demonstrate undue hardship, Company Name must
prove that accommodating my need for revised work scheduling would require more
than ordinary administrative costs, it would diminish the efficiency of other
jobs, impair workplace safety, infringe on other employee’s rights or benefits
or cause coworkers to carry my share of potentially hazardous or burdensome
work. In order to refuse to accommodate
my religious belief, Company Name would need
to demonstrate the negative financial impact such accommodation would have on
the business.

Accommodating my need for a Sabbath
that changes, month to month, through the weekly cycle of the Gregorian calendar
would not cause such undue hardship. I
can provide, a year in advance, a list of which dates I am unavailable to
work. Furthermore, workers on the
Gregorian calendar average 21.3 work days each month. On a luni-solar calendar, I can work 24 days
each month. I am also willing and able
to work weekends and common holidays that others prefer to have off thus
contributing added value to my work availability. It is my belief that
accommodating my religious beliefs does not constitute an undue hardship for Company Name since there is no demonstrable
administrative expense and it does not have an actual negative monetary impact
on the business.

I have greatly enjoyed my work with Company Name and I wish to continue to be a
valuable employee as I believe I have much to offer the business and the public
we serve.

Sincerely,

Sign in blue ink

Your Name

cc: Company
Headquarters (Fill in name of company if applicable)