An advocacy group is asking managers of the Electrolux appliance plant in St. Cloud to allow its Muslim employees to eat during their shifts during Ramadan.
The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN) asked that the Muslim employees be allowed to bring a snack onto the plant’s production floor so they can break their fast at sundown during the monthlong observance, which begins during the second week of August.
According to the group, Electrolux earlier this year adopted a new policy that bars all food from the plant’s production floor.
Most of the 300 employees who work the evening shift are Muslims, the group said.
Some employees filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, saying the company’s policy violates federal and state civil rights laws.
A call to the North American headquarters of the Swedish appliance manufacturer wasn’t immediately returned.