The Teamsters Union and Garda World Security Corp. have agreed on an interim solution in the case of a female Muslim airport screener who has been suspended without pay for the past three months for wearing a skirt longer than the one supplied with her company's uniform.
Garda has agreed to offer the screener, Halima Muse, 33, a full-time administrative position in civilian attire at her previous salary. She will be paid full back pay for the time she lost due to this issue. She will remain in the administrative position until the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) can evaluate its policy on uniforms. CATSA, a federal agency, sets the regulations for screeners' uniforms and objected to the longer skirt which Ms Muse wore for religious reasons.
Ms Muse, a practicing Muslim, wanted to wear the longer skirt to conform with the Islamic dress code that calls for women to wear loose fitting clothes that cover the entire body except the face, hands and feet. The skirt issued to airport screeners falls just below the knee. Ms Muse commissioned a tailor to make her a longer skirt, hemmed just above the ankle. She had two skirts made and wore them for about six months before she was suspended.
Teamsters Local Union 847 and the Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations (Canada), a non profit advocacy organization dedicated to educating non-Muslims about Islam, jointly filed a complaint on behalf of Ms Muse with the Canadian Human Rights Commission. The complaint stated that Ms Muse has been discriminated against on the basis of her religion by CATSA and Garda.
Teamsters Local Union 847 and the Council have agreed to hold the complaint in abeyance to allow all parties, including CATSA and Ms Muse to discuss the issue.
For further information: Ed Hawrysh, Teamsters Local Union 847, tel: (647) 220-1898
