FAA Supervisor endured suspension, transfer after expressing religious views at work

On March 3, 2005, Larry Dombrowski, who works in the FAA’s civil service as a supervisor, received a letter of reprimand from his regional manager. The document accused Dombrowski of engaging in “unbecoming conduct” as a supervisor for several friendly conversations he had with unoffended co-workers regarding his Christian beliefs.

Dombrowski was disciplined and punished for his religious views on homosexual behavior while at work, with a seven-day suspension without pay and a forced relocation from his position in Louisville, Ky., to Birmingham, Ala. Both co-workers at the time, stated they were not personally offended or threatened by the remarks.

In 2006, attorneys for the Alliance Defense Fund filed a federal civil rights lawsuit on behalf of Larry Dombrowski after he was told that he had “no free speech rights in the government workplace.”

“The First Amendment does not allow government employers to engage in viewpoint discrimination,” said ADF Senior Counsel Kevin Theriot.  “Censoring and punishing an employee for expressing his opinion on religion violates the Constitution, a fact that should have been clear to the defendants in this case.”

On April 2, 2009, as a result of this lawsuit the Federal Aviation Administration agreed to stop censoring religious speech. The victory clears Dombrowski’s record and requires the government to pay attorneys’ fees and costs.

In compliance with the agreement, the FAA distributed a memo titled “Guidelines on Religious Exercise and Expression in the Workplace” to employees. The document, originally issued by the White House in 1997, informs federal government agencies that they “shall permit personal religious expression by Federal employees to the greatest extent possible, consistent with requirements of law and interests in workplace efficiency” as stipulated in the guidelines.

“Christians shouldn’t be penalized for expressing their beliefs,” Theriot said. “Government agencies have no right to harass and threaten employees who choose to express their religious faith in a manner that does not disrupt the workplace. We are pleased that the FAA has taken steps to ensure that all employees’ First Amendment rights will be respected.”

ADF is a legal alliance defending the right to hear and speak the Truth through strategy, training, funding, and litigation.