Title VII Religious Exemptions from DEI Training
Today, we are excited to bring you more information about how to protect your sincerely held personal beliefs. Recently, a handful of courageous men stepped forward to assert the law and secure Religious Exemptions from diversity, inclusion, and equity (DIE) training. As we announced almost a year ago, we believed the vaccine mandate was the hill we would die on. As we crested that hill, we saw a mountain in front of us: another mandate. What most don’t realize is that DIE is just that, another mandate. President Biden signed an Executive Order in 2021 that required DIE for federal workers. We all see the cozy relationship between the government and corporations over recent years, and we believe the E.O., along with financial incentives from large corporate investment firms, helped to force this upon our workplace. It's called ESG. More information about what ESG is can be found on our website.
Despite recent slanderous claims against our organization, we find it disheartening that "inclusion" doesn’t include opposing viewpoints. We also find it troublesome that those ignorant of the law don't understand that Title VII protects those with sincerely held religious beliefs just the same as it does any of the other 30+ protected classes that the company promotes. Of course, the next logical question is, “Well, if everyone is protected, who determines who is more protected?” Well, that’s not our problem to figure out.
We are proud of the men who decided to stand on their faith. To date, everyone who has applied for religious exemptions against DIE has been granted the exemption and given an accommodation that allows for a greatly reduced lesson (minimum required by law).
Please watch this short 20m interview with a few of them: SWFF Discusses the exemption process.
What we know so far is that each individual mandated training block needs its own exemption, versus a one-time blanket exemption from all training. To apply for an exemption, go to the company website, search for “Accommodations,” then click Workplace Accommodations and then Religious Exemptions. The questionnaire is four simple questions, the first of which asks about your organized religion. Remember that Title VII does not require you to be part of an organized religion, rather, just that you have sincerely held religious or personal beliefs. The accommodations team will call you or email to have a brief discussion about your request. As always, an honest and emotionless discussion is suggested. The questionnaire will ask what part of the training violates your beliefs. If you haven’t completed the training, you wouldn’t know. Answering as such is a sufficient answer, just that you heard the training included information that violates your closely held faith-based beliefs.
If you seek more detailed information once you’ve received your exemption questionnaire, we’ve partnered with First Liberty Institute. They’ve provided us a Religious Liberty Protection Kit that better explains the religious exemption process and can give more detailed answers to your questions. Separately, Attorney Nathan McCoy of Wilson McCoy, P.A. is also an expert in the field and is happy to help you for a small fee. Nathan is a trusted source and has helped SWFF on multiple occasions. None of the people who've received RE's so far have used legal help to receive their exemptions, but the resources are there if you choose to use them!
In closing, we'd like to share with you a few quotes from Herb Kelleher's message to the field in 1999. You can also view the entire message using this link. It's a powerful message of unity that rings true over 20 years later.
Herbert D. Kelleher: Herb’s Message to The Field 1999
“If we want to remain a towering, and an inspiring example of a group of people that does well for itself, by doing good for others, then we must resist, each and every one of us a slowly, increasing tendency towards tribalism within our company.
"What is Tribalism? A famous play-write stated that “Tribalism takes place when any sub-group of people think of themselves as a detached island, separate from all other sub-groups, so that they start to believe that their customs, their ideas, and their attitudes, those of their sub -group are superior to anybody else's. Equivalent perhaps to the immutable, unchangeable laws of nature."
"Tribalism is nothing but a stupid, and nothing but an unthinking orgy of self-destruction. And it can, and it will destroy our airline if we don't understand what it is, stop it in its' tracks, and destroy it in its infancy."
"Tribalism is the enemy of altruism, and Tribalism is the deadly opponent of teamwork. The core values at Southwest Airlines. The values which primarily distinguish Southwest from all other airlines and from most organizations of any kind. How does the evil incarnate of Tribalism tend to manifest itself at Southwest Airlines? Let me tell you, these are the ways of the curse, these are the ways of the sickness, and these are the ways of the plague of Tribalism."
"Tribalism number 8.... work is nothing but an interference with my personal preferences, with my personal desires, and my personal activities. This is the Ego Tribe. A self-gratification Tribe verses the Servant Tribe, and when egos and self-gratifiers prevail, the organization simply perishes because anarchy also prevails."
Regards,
SW Freedom Flyer Leadership