EEOC Sues CEMEX Construction Materials Florida for Religious Discrimination

TAMPA, Fla. - CEMEX Construction Materials Florida, LLC, which manufactures and delivers building construction materials, violated federal law when it failed to accommodate an employee's request to wear a close-fitting skirt over her pants as required by her religion, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit announced today.

According to the EEOC's lawsuit, CEMEX refused to allow an employee, who is an Apostolic Christian, a religious accommodation that allowed her to wear a skirt over her work pants. The company denied the accommodation because of its policy against loose-fitting clothing. The employee only wore close-fitting skirts over her work pants and was in compliance with company policy. Ultimately, the company forced the employee to choose between wearing a skirt or losing her job. The employee chose to continue wearing a skirt, which led to her termination.

Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination because of an individual's religion and requires employers to reasonably accommodate an employee's religious observance or practice unless doing so would cause an undue hardship. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. CEMEX Construction Materials Florida, LLC, Case No. 8:25-cv-1454) in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process.

"Federal law prohibits discrimination by employers against their employees' sincerely held religious beliefs," EEOC Tampa Field Office Director Tamra Schweiberger said. "Employers must not make their employees choose between observing their religion and maintaining their livelihoods where, as here, there is no undue hardship to the company."

EEOC Regional Attorney Kristen Foslid added, "This is the Miami District Office's second lawsuit within a month alleging religious discrimination. Employers should take notice that the EEOC will vigorously investigate, and where necessary, litigate, claims of religious discrimination in the workplace."

For more information on religious discrimination, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/religious-discrimination.

The EEOC's Miami District Office is comprised of the Miami, Tampa and San Juan offices, and has jurisdiction over Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The EEOC is the sole federal agency authorized to investigate and litigate against businesses and other private sector employers for violations of federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. For public sector employers, the EEOC shares jurisdiction with the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division; the EEOC is responsible for investigating charges against state and local government employers before referring them to DOJ for potential litigation. The EEOC also is responsible for coordinating the federal government's employment antidiscrimination effort. More information about the EEOC is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.