According to his beliefs as a follower of the Santeria faith, North Carolina's Dwayne Butler may only give his saliva for religious purposes. In 2007, he was fired for refusing his employer's demand to provide a sample for random drug screening, despite offering to be screened in some other way. Now, a suit brought by the EEOC – charging auto parts manufacturer GKN Driveline with failing to accommodate his religious beliefs – has resulted in a $36,432 settlement.
The EEOC receives around 3,000 charges of religious discrimination per year, pursuing somewhere in the neighborhood of 9-10% to settlement on behalf of individuals.
