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A Chrysler employee fears he may lose his job for
to work on Shabbat.
refusing to
LARGE SELECTION BELOW WHOLESALE COST
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JULIE WIENER
Staff Writer
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Sponsored by
the Jewish Federation
of Metropolitan Detroit
ike many other observant
Jews, Barry Fishier spends
much of Friday getting ready
for Shabbat: cleaning, shop-
ping and cooking.
Lately, a new ritual has been added
to his preparations: a frantic hour at
work. At 3:30 p.m., Fishier, a forklift
operator at Chrysler's Jeep manufac-
turing plant in Toledo, begins search-
ing for extra employees willing to
replace him on his scheduled shift.
If he is successful, Fishier trains the
replacement and rushes to shul before
sundown. If not, he still goes to shul,
but with the knowledge that he will be
subject to disciplinary action: a pro-
gressively stricter series of punish-
ments ranging from letters of repri-
mand to mandatory unpaid leave and,
he believes, an eventual dismissal.
Employed at Chrysler for 20 years,
the 45-year-old Fishier is — by his
own account — the only Orthodox
Jew in the plant, and has faced on-off
scheduling conflicts since becoming
observant five years ago.
Past struggles resulted in Fishier
being assigned to a shift that did not
conflict with Shabbat. However, since
returning from a medical leave in
October, Fishier has been expected to
report to work on Friday nights.
His medical restrictions — an
inability to stand for long periods of
time due to work-related injuries —
make a job transfer difficult. Union
contracts that regulate scheduling and
seniority exacerbate the situation;
other forklift operators have more
seniority and thus cannot be forced to
trade schedules with Fishier.
Fishler's attorney, Peter Silverman,
estimates that his client is about 60
days away from being fired.
"I'm worried," said Fishier, the sin-
gle parent of a 7-year-old boy. "If I'm
fired, I'll have to find another job and
fight to get my job back. All I want to
do is go to work and not be hassled."
If he is fired, Fishier, who is 10
years away from earning his Chrysler
pension, may sue Chrysler for reli-
gious discrimination. However, Silver-
—/
man — who davens with Fishier at
Toledo's Congregation Etz Chayim
and has been providing pro bono
counsel — hopes to avert a lawsuit.
Instead, he is mounting a letter-writ-
ing campaign to pressure top manage-
ment at Chrysler's Auburn Hills head-
quarters. He also is enlisting the sup-
port of the Anti-Defamation League
and Toledo's two Orthodox rabbis.
"All I want to do
is go to work and
not be hassled."
— Barry Fishier
"Chrysler is very sensitive to public
opinion, and they need to know
there's a strong support in the Jewish
community and all the communities
to accommodate Sabbath worship-
pers," said Silverman.
Megan Giles, a spokesperson for
Chrysler, asserts that the company is
trying in good faith to accommodate
Fishler's needs. Already, Fishier is
exempt from the mandatory Saturday
overtime required of other plant
employees, she said, adding that
Chrysler is still talking with union
leaders in hopes of reaching a solution
for Fishler's Friday night conflict.
"As far as we're concerned, the case
with Mr. Fishier is still open-ended,
and no decision has been made," said
Giles. "We've tried to accommodate
his needs, but we also can't ask some-
one else to forfeit their seniority, and
hiring someone else [to fulfill Fishler's
Friday night job duties] would be of
cost to the company."
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