Muslim Bed Bath & Beyond Employee Claims He Was Sacked Because Of Beliefs
A former Bed Bath & Beyond employee has claimed that he was sacked from the company because of his religious beliefs.
48-year-old Jose Alcantra was growing his beard because of his Muslim faith. He also insisted that he was subjected to months of abuse from his fellow employees at Bed Bath & Beyond over his facial hair.
Alcantra has now filed a lawsuit with the Manhattan Supreme Court, claiming that he was sacked after he missed several work days because his holiday schedule had been changed by his supervisor.
Before this, Alcantra said he was referred to as a “terrorist” by a co-worker, while he also added that he repeatedly tried to contact Bed Bath & Beyond’s HR department, only to hear his pleas for help fall on deaf ears.
“When I was being called a terrorist, it made me question everything – my religion, my beliefs, myself,” Alcantara explained. “There were people I trusted and was trying to develop a relationship. I felt really betrayed. They stabbed in the back.”
Alcantara, who lives in Sunnyside, Queens with his fiancee and their son, spoke about how, originally, when he first got his job at the Bed Bath & Beyond on New York City’s Broadway at W. 65th back in October of 2012, he was very hopeful. Especially since he’d recently beaten mouth and throat cancer, and his role earning $47,000 as a department manager at Bed Bath & Beyond was seen as a fresh start.
“Everyone was really friendly and nice, “Alcantara explained. “It was a pleasure to go to work.”
However, problems arrived when he started to grow a beard, which he did after turning to Islam when his mother-in-law slowly started to die of cancer. “I had nowhere to turn but religion,” Alcantara explained.
Alcantara revealed that, in February 2013, a human resources manager approached him and asked, “What’s going on with the beard?” That was when Alcantara explained he was growing it because of his religion. In the lawsuit, he stated that almost immediately he started to be treated differently. This included being greeted by one of his fellow employees with, “Good morning, terrorist. How are you terrorist?”
In response to Alcantara’s claims, Bed Bath & Beyond has released a statement vehemently defending itself. The statement reads, “Bed Bath & Beyond strictly prohibits any form of harassment or unlawful discrimination. We disagree with the characterization of the separation that was provided. We will respond to this matter in the appropriate forum, should any further legal action be taken.”
Alcantara insists that at a later date, he was asked by the HR manager if he was, “seriously following the Muslim religion.” The HR representative allegedly said that the store manager had been harassing her about Acantara’s beard. To which, Alcantara responded with, “I’m still following my religion and there is no problem with my beard.”
The store manager, named in the lawsuit as Kellie Marsalli, then became, “short-tempered, abrupt, and extremely hostile” toward Alcantara, the lawsuit explained.
When he returned to work in the New Year, he was approached by Marsalli, who fired him for not showing up on January 3, 4, and 5. Alcantara claimed the schedule was changed to make it look like he was scheduled to work the additional days, and his lawsuit includes a photo of the original schedule.
Adam Slater, Alcantara’s lawyer, said, “My client is a hard-working guy. It’s not right that he was systematically targeted, ridiculed, and ultimately terminated, simply for practicing his religion openly.”
[Photo by Getty/Chris Hondros]
