Company Tried to Force Employees Into 'Onionhead' Religion: Suit

Employees allegedly fired for refusing to participate
By Shelley Hazen,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 12, 2014 4:10 PM CDT
Company Tried to Force Employees Into 'Onionhead' Religion: Suit
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What would you do if your employer told you to thank God for your job, say “I love you” to management, and attend meetings to discuss "divine plans"? If you work for New York health care firm United Health Programs of America, you go to the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Thanks to its alleged enforcement of a belief system called “Harnessing Happiness,” or “Onionhead,” the company is now being sued by the EEOC for discrimination, reports NBC New York. A mother and daughter team (reportedly related to the company owner) created Onionhead 20 years ago, and it's meant to help people be peaceful and successful. But three UHPOA employees complained to the EEOC after they say they were fired for not taking part in Onionhead rituals, the New York Daily News reports.

Those rituals also allegedly included praying, burning candles, and wearing Onionhead buttons. The suit says one employee expressed her dislike for Onionhead, citing her Catholic faith, and was booted from her office ... and replaced with a statue of Buddha. The alleged leader of Onionhead at the firm, called “Denali” in the suit, allegedly referred to “demons” when talking about two of the employees resisting Onionhead. The company denies wrongdoing, with Denali Jordan, who identifies herself as an independent consultant to UHPOA parent company Cost Containment, insisting the complaint is based on “untruths and money." She also denies Onionhead is a religion, saying the suit “hurts my soul.” (In Connecticut last month, a family accused teachers at a high school of luring their daughters into a "death cult.")

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