Colorado’s labor department has ruled that more than 100 Muslim workers fired from a Cargill meatpacking plant are eligible for unemployment benefits because a company cannot force workers to choose between their religion and their jobs. The workers filed for unemployment payments after they were fired in December by Cargill Meat Solutions, amid a dispute over whether the Muslim employees could take prayer breaks during their shifts. Cargill challenged the claims, but the company withdrew its appeals this summer after losing 20 cases, officials with the state Department of Labor said. ... the payments could cost Colorado’s unemployment fund nearly...