Her doctor gave her a note saying she should not do heavy lifting.Īrmanda Legros was fired from her job at an armored truck company rather than given a light duty assignment when she was pregnant with her son, Ayden, in 2012. Six months into her pregnancy, she pulled a muscle in her stomach. Legros was working for an armored truck company on Long Island, New York, lifting bags of money and 40-pound boxes of coins, sometimes two or three at a time. More than 30 states and cities have laws providing accommodations for at least some pregnant workers, according to the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.Īrmanda Legros is one mom who could have benefited from the law had it been in effect when she was pregnant with her second son in 2012. Other accommodations could include flexible scheduling for doctor appointments, additional or longer breaks for eating, drinking and using the bathroom, permission to wear maternity pants, changes to work schedules and time off to recover from childbirth. No longer will women nationwide face the impossible choice between maintaining a healthy pregnancy and affording food for their families.” “Working moms no longer have to fear job loss for needing time off to safely recover from childbirth. “At long last, pregnant workers can no longer be forced off the job for needing light duty work or a stool to sit on to maintain a healthy pregnancy,” said Dina Bakst, co-founder and co-president of A Better Balance, a national legal advocacy organization. They include teachers, registered nurses, farm workers and others.Īnnually, nearly 2.8 million pregnant women – 70% of all pregnant women – worked while they were expecting, according to the National Partnership for Women & Families.Īdvocates have been fighting to improve federal protections for pregnant workers for more than a decade, saying that the Pregnancy Discrimination Act is inadequate and that most pregnancy-related conditions are not considered disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The other, the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act, expands the right to have break time and a private place outside of a bathroom to pump to nearly 9 million more breastfeeding workers who were not covered under a previous Affordable Care Act provision. The law is one of two enhanced job-based protections for expectant and new mothers contained in the spending package. The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which Congress passed as part of a federal government spending package in December, requires employers to provide “reasonable accommodations” related to pregnancy or childbirth unless they would cause an “undue hardship.” It applies to businesses with at least 15 employees. Pregnant workers should have an easier time getting a stool, extra bathroom breaks or a bottle of water without fear of getting fired, thanks to a new law that takes effect on Tuesday.
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