Religion for the day

Paul Nussbaum has an article in The Philadelphia Inquirer about religion:

A janitorial worker and the SEPTA transit agency are fighting over the worker's dismissal for refusing to work on holy days, including Rosh Hashanah.
Romel McAlpin of Germantown, Pennsylvania was fired last year by SEPTA for refusing to work on Rosh Hashanah and 12 October, his Sabbath.
McAlpin, according to legal documents, is an adherent of the Israelite Church of God in Jesus Christ, a sect that observes Jewish holy days and marks the Sabbath from sundown on Fridays to sundown on Saturdays.
McAlpin, a maintenance custodian in subway tunnels, notified SEPTA of his religious beliefs shortly after he was hired in May of 2012, according to a legal brief filed by Transport Workers Union Local 234.
SEPTA permitted McAlpin to trade days off with other workers to accommodate his beliefs, but only with workers with less seniority, citing seniority clauses in its union contract. The union argued that McAlpin should be allowed to swap days with more senior employees.
Because of his brief tenure with SEPTA, McAlpin was not able to find replacements for Rosh Hashanah and 12 October 2014, and was fired.
The TWU, which is in contentious negotiations with SEPTA for a new contract, is asking an arbitrator to order McAlpin to be restored to his job and receive back pay, as much as $70,000. "He's married, with children, totally sincere in his beliefs, and he deserves not to be fired," said TWU lawyer Bruce Bodner.
SEPTA, which had argued that the case was not subject to arbitration, declined to comment. An arbitration hearing date has not been set.

Rico says that 'separation of church and state' thing can be tricky...