Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 8, 2023 / 09:30 am
A Texas judge ordered Southwest Airlines to take religious freedom training from the faith-based legal advocacy organization the Alliance Defending Freedom after the airline failed to inform employees of their freedom to practice their religion.
Southwest flight attendant Charlene Carter had been fired by the airline after criticizing the president of her worker’s union for attending the pro-abortion Women’s March in Washington, D.C., in 2017.
Carter sued and won a combined $5 million from the airline and the Transport Workers Union Local 556 in the dispute, with the court finding that her speech against the union president was protected under federal statute. She was also subsequently reinstated as a flight attendant for the company.
The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas further ordered Southwest to inform its workers that the company “may not discriminate against Southwest flight attendants for their religious practices and beliefs.” In its ruling on Monday, the district court said Southwest “didn’t come close to complying with the court’s order.”