Working pregnant women here in New York and the rest of the nation have several important rights under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act. When an employer violates these rights, victims may pursue a remedy with guidance from an employment law attorney. Unfortunately, many pregnant workers fail to recognize discrimination or do not believe they have suffered enough to act in a legal setting.
Having a clear picture of how pregnancy discrimination may look can help workers and their families determine if a problem exists. The following section includes a few examples of prohibited behaviors in the workplace against those expecting a baby. It is important to note that the list below does not contain all prohibited behaviors.
- Refusing to hire a person because of a pregnancy
- Terminating a worker due to a pregnancy
- Demoting or failing to promote a pregnant employee
- Lowering a worker’s pay rate because of pregnancy
- Denying a pregnant worker the same benefits other employees enjoy
This area of the nation’s employment law also prohibits an employer from giving a worker unwanted time off for maternity leave. On the other side of the coin, employers cannot refuse to let pregnant employees work when they are able. They must also provide the same health benefits to pregnant workers that they provide for other employees.
Employment law is particularly complex in the state of New York. As such, it is a good idea to seek a legal opinion if you believe your employer has violated the Pregnancy Discrimination Act. An extra benefit of seeking an opinion is that you will already have an advocate to protect your rights if it turns out that you are indeed suffering from discrimination at work.
