Alabama Blue Bell Employee Sues Over His Beard

Well, here we go. What would Tommy Tuberville say?

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One of my favorite ice creams, Blue Bell, is facing a lawsuit from an employee at its Sylacauga plant, according to WVTM-TV. Blue Bell Creameries is being sued because it fired an employee, and now that employee is claiming religious discrimination. The company says it terminated him for a "timekeeping violation." In my earlier days, I worked for a sugar processing plant, and the beard was a major point of contention. While I didn't have a "beard" as you would normally think of, I had facial hair or stubble. I was required to wear a "beard net" anytime I worked with sugar.

In this lawsuit, the EEOC says the employee was discriminated against for his Jewish beliefs. The employee worked as a body shop technician. The EEOC also claims other employees committed the same "timekeeping violation" and were not terminated. The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama.

Is food processing the best job if you have a large beard? I know, in my experience, having just a bit of facial hair made it difficult to work in food processing. In addition, the employee tried to obtain a special "religious beard accommodation," according to his legal team.