Some employers, I’m look at you Walmart, do not allow for concessions to be made for employees when pregnant even when the female employee provides a physican’s note or something to indicate that they must be allowed to visit the restroom or drink water during the job. This may sound weird to people who are not employed in physically demanding labor such as retail or factory work.
The Prengnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) was introduced last week by Sen. Jean Shaheen (D.-N.H) and Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa). This Act requires employers to make the same workplace accommodations for pregnant women that current law requires for people with disabilities.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires “reasonable accommodations” for people with disabilities so they can perform their job functions. Of course pregnancy isn’t actually a disability. Pregnant women have the 1978 Pregnancy Discrimination Act, which states it is illegal to fire a woman for becoming pregnant. However, employers can still refuse to accommodate pregnant women’s basic temporary medical needs within the workplace.
Sen. Shaheen said:
“As more and more women are working longer into their pregnancies," they deserve reasonable accommodations to maintain their safety and health. Adding the bill allows women, “to work longer and more productively at their jobs while also providing for their families and helping strengthen our economy.”Women make up about half the work force, and according to the NWLC that is about 77 million women. Naturally, in light of the recent changes to the economy and the rise of women as the family primary breadwinner, which was up to 41 percent in 2010, women need more protections in the workplace. Oh, and equal pay would be nice too. Then again, that would probably cease the rise in hiring women to preform jobs because you can pay them less.
There was a similar bill introduced in the House of Representatives, but we shouldn’t hold our breath. New York Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) introduced the bill and has 109 co-sponsors, all of whom are Democrats. Republicans control the House so it is unlikely that any bills that benefit women will ever see the light of day. Republicans will argue that this is unfair to business somehow.
