Target worker fired over ‘Trust in Jesus’ name tag. Retailer says it was a mistake

Target should not have fired an employee over her refusal to remove a name tag that included a religious expression, the national retailer says.

Denise Kendrick, who worked as a cashier at a Target in Fargo, North Dakota, as her second job, said since Halloween she has worn a name tag with the phrase “Trust in Jesus” written beside her first name.

But on Saturday, Nov. 16, she was asked to remove the name tag, she said in a YouTube video. She was told the religious expression violated the store’s dress code.

“I said, ‘I will not take it off. I see people with rainbows on their name tags,’” she said she told the supervisor.

When she was called to speak with an HR representative about the issue, Kendrick was initially told she could not work at the store any longer. She was later told she was not fired, but she was being sent home for the day.

Kendrick said she would still be wearing the name tag when she returned to work, leading to her being fired from the store, according to her video.

“Just because Target is exclusive and they can express their beliefs (does not mean) that my religious freedom is lost,” Kendrick said in the YouTube video.

On its website, Target says it is an an “equal opportunity employer that prohibits discrimination, and will make decisions regarding employment opportunities, including hiring, promotion and advancement, without regard to... religious beliefs.”

The store does not list its dress code policy online, but a national spokesperson for the retailer said “the team member should not have been terminated.”

Target has apologized to Kendrick, the spokesperson told McClatchy News in an email, and the company offered to reinstate her.

“We are taking the appropriate steps to address the actions taken by the individual leader involved in this situation and are working with the store to ensure our policies are appropriately followed moving forward.”

It’s unclear if Kendrick plans on returning to the job.

This story was originally published November 20, 2024 at 6:52 AM with the headline "Target worker fired over ‘Trust in Jesus’ name tag. Retailer says it was a mistake."