(Image source:  Seattle Weekly)

BY ERICA COGHILL

Hertz Rent-A-Car fired more than two dozen of its Somali-Muslim drivers at the Sea-Tac airport after the company claimed some of the employees weren’t clocking out for their prayer breaks.

The firing comes after the company suspended 34 of the employees about a week ago. Eight agreed to clock out for prayer time and as for the rest- they were all fired.

Seattle’s KCPQ reports...

“Hertz said the workers were taking longer breaks than their normal two 10 minute breaks allowed. The union representing the workers of the two sides tried to negotiate an agreement before the termination letters were sent out.”

The Seattle Times quotes a spokesman for the worker’s union--who says...

“There may have been some [employees] taking longer than 10 minutes, but why single out the entire group based on their religion?”

A KOMO reporter points out how Hertz’s new break policy changed to explicitly address religion.

“The union provided me with this notice, posted for employees at Hertz earlier this year, it stated, employees who want to take their 10 minute break in smaller chunks don’t have to punch, but must notify their supervisor.”

“Then, September 30th, the union claims Hertz posted this new policy which states all rest and meal periods must be punched, including all religious observation.”

While the workers say they feel like they’re being punished for their beliefs, one furmanifesto.com blogger disagrees...

“When we can’t comply with the terms we agreed to at the time of our employment, that’s not a boss issue, it’s a worker issue. The Islamic workers were not fired for being Islamic, they were fired for not observing the company policy of ‘clocking out’ when attending to their prayers.”

But as ABC News reports, secretary-treasurer of the union says it is about religion.

"The employer is saying this is not about religion. The problem is, this is only enforced policy with respect to prayer breaks,"... "I'm quite certain people take many, many smoking breaks, or go across the street to get coffee. But when they singled out this group of workers when they are engaging in prayer, it is hard to make it about anything other than religion."

The Seattle Times says the union is filing religious discrimination charges. Hertz has said it will re-hire any of the employees that will agree Friday to clock out for prayers.