For many women, the prospect of expanding a family by having a baby is an exciting thing. For some working women, however, the birth of a child may pose problems in the workplace. These women may face unfair and very real job discrimination as a result of their pregnancies.

Last summer, we wrote a post regarding the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s creation of new guidelines regarding pregnancy discrimination. Those guidelines, which would end both subtle and overt discrimination against pregnant women, called for updating laws already in place. Among them is a requirement that employers provide reasonable accommodations such as lighter workloads. The U.S. Supreme Court recently issued a ruling regarding this issue of magnitude.

The case

At the heart of the case is a United Parcel Service employee who became pregnant. When she requested “light duty” in the form of a break from lifting heavy packages, her supervisor refused and told her to take an unpaid leave. The woman then sued. As a part of her argument, she asserted that other employees who were not pregnant but who either had a disability defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act or sustained injuries on the job, received light duty assignments when merely upon request.

At both the U.S. District Court and the U.S. Circuit Court, UPS came out on top. Those courts ruled that the employer had a “pregnancy-blind policy.”

The Supreme Court ruling

The U.S. Supreme Court reversed those rulings and sent the case back to the Fourth Circuit. In its 6-3 decision, the High Court held that the facts posed a genuine dispute regarding the existence of more favorable treatment for non-pregnant employees. The lower courts will determine if UPS’s stated reasons for treating women differently amounted to untruths.

Conclusion

If you have been or are being unfairly treated by your employer because of your pregnancy, you have legal recourse. Our office will discover the facts, research the law, and let you know whether you have a case worth pursuing. We handle employment discrimination claims regularly, and will help you develop options. If you are owed money damages, we will do our utmost to get them for you.

For more information about our law firm, lawyers, and services, please view our website today at www.hananisaacs.com.