NewYork-Presbyterian axed Orthodox Jewish paramedic over her religious refusal to wear pants: suit

[rug]

BY CHRISTINA CARREGA
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Wednesday, May 24, 2017, 5:00 PM

A Brooklyn paramedic wants to sue the pants off the city and a Manhattan hospital that fired her for wearing a skirt to work.

The Orthodox Jewish woman said her religion’s modesty tenet prohibits her from wearing pants, and that the FDNY dress code for emergency medical technicians discriminates against her religious practices.

Before Hadas Goldfarb, a certified paramedic, was hired on Nov. 19, 2015 to work at Manhattan’s NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, officials who interviewed her for the job made no mention of the pants requirement, said Goldfarb, 26, who filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the hospital and the city in Brooklyn Supreme Court.

But a few hours into her orientation, Goldfarb was terminated for "refusing to compromise her religious principles," according to the lawsuit.

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/manhattan/hospital-axed-medic-religious-refusal-wear-pants-suit-article-1.3193213

[no_hypocrisy]

1. It's legal. The dress code against long skirts is because of safety.

For example, the NYC Transit Authority prevents female bus drivers from wearing long skirts when driving. Why? Because of their particular situation, they need to be able to get up and quickly escape when passengers and/or trespassers start attacking them. Otherwise they are trapped in their bus drivers' seats and will sustain more serious injuries for being sitting ducks.

My guess for Presbyterian and EMS agencies is similar: a greater chance of tripping, constraint of ambulation and motion, etc. risks injuries to the employee and the patient. It isn't about religion.

http://www.mta.info/press-release/nyc-transit/statement-bus-operator-dress