Religious discrimination claims are on the rise, and Minnesota’s increasingly diverse population presents new challenges for employers who must balance legal compliance against business efficiency.  This session will examine the current legal landscape around an employer’s duty to accommodate employees’ religious beliefs and practices, including what constitutes religious discrimination and practical recommendations for religious accommodations in the workplace. 

Kurt J. Erickson has significant experience in representing public and private employers in labor and employment matters. He appears regularly before state and federal courts, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, as well as proceedings before other state administrative tribunals. Kurt routinely defends clients in litigation matters, including class action litigation, involving discrimination and harassment, accommodation issues, whistleblowing and retaliation, breach of contract, unfair labor practices, and trade secret and non-compete issues. In addition, he provides advice and counsel to clients on these matters and other employment law issues such as drafting of employee handbooks, policies and procedures and the hiring, performance management and termination of employees.
 
Prior to joining Littler, Kurt was a partner at a large national employment law firm and also worked as in-house corporate counsel for a major airline, where he managed nationwide employment litigation and provided counsel on a wide range of employment related matters. He also served as special assistant and assistant attorney general with the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office, where he handled a variety of disputes involving race, gender and disability discrimination.