Faith
Grace Community Church Faces Lawsuit for Firing Employees
Faith Facts
- Three maintenance workers claim wrongful termination after raising concerns about asbestos exposure at a church property.
- The workers allege they were dismissed after alerting leaders to unsafe conditions and refusing to continue work without remediation.
- California officials fined the church $1,125 for workplace safety violations linked to asbestos at the site.
Christian stewardship demands that we care for both the physical and spiritual welfare of our community members. Three former employees of Grace Community Church claim they were fired for expressing safety concerns about asbestos at a property intended to become an elementary school.
After reportedly discovering asbestos in flooring, these workers say their initial concerns were dismissed, and they continued to work in hazardous conditions without proper protection until independent testing confirmed the danger.
“In the days that followed, GCC never provided Plaintiffs with results of asbestos testing. GCC took no action to remediate the site,” the lawsuit alleges.
When the employees refused to work further until the asbestos was removed, they say church leaders accused them of spreading falsehoods and pressured them to resign. Failing that, the workers allege they were terminated for speaking out.
“This church is supposed to be the light of the world, and for them to trample on us, our wives, our children, is just a horrible witness,” stated Jose “Tony” Lara.
“They wanted to rush this job to put a bunch of little kids in there for school, and if we hadn’t spoken up, if OSHA hadn’t shut the place down, I bet they’d be in there right now, breathing in God only knows what,” added Chad Pritchett.
Faith calls for accountability and compassion, reminding us that every action reflects our witness to others. As the lawsuit moves forward, believers are urged to pray for wisdom, integrity, and reconciliation so the church can continue its mission faithful to Christ’s teachings.