Underwood-Backed Legislation to Protect Pregnant Workers Passes the House

WASHINGTON— Yesterday, Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (IL-14) supported the House passage of bipartisan legislation to protect pregnant workers. The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (H.R. 2694) guarantees basic protections for pregnant workers by establishing a clear-cut right to reasonable accommodations, so they can continue working without jeopardizing their pregnancy.

"Despite the passage of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act 42 years ago, pregnant women continue to face discrimination and unfair treatment at work. Pregnant women are denied access to reasonable accommodations, forced to work under conditions that threaten their health or their pregnancy, and can even lose their job. The fact is that current laws just don't work for all women. We must enact the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, so women no longer have to choose between risking their career or risking their health," said Underwood.

As women increasingly become the primary breadwinners in American households, a growing number of pregnant workers are working later into their pregnancies to maintain their family's financial security. According to the most recent data, 88 percent of first-time mothers worked during their last trimester. Unfortunately, over 40 years after the passage of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978, workers still face pregnancy discrimination, which can include losing a job, being denied reasonable accommodation, or not being hired in the first place.

The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act would establish that:

• Private sector employers with more than 15 employees as well as public sector employers must make reasonable accommodations for pregnant workers (employees and job applicants with known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions).
  • Similar to the Americans with Disabilities Act, employers are not required to make an accommodation if it imposes an undue hardship on an employer's business.
• Pregnant workers cannot be denied employment opportunities, retaliated against for requesting a reasonable accommodation, or forced take paid or unpaid leave if another reasonable accommodation is available.
• Workers denied a reasonable accommodation under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act will have the same rights and remedies as those established under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. These include lost pay, compensatory damages, and reasonable attorneys' fees.

The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act has gained broad support from civil rights groups, worker advocates, health and religious organizations, as well as from the business community, including the ACLU, AFL-CIO, American Federation of Teachers, Child Welfare League of America, Human Rights Watch, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, March of Dimes, MomsRising, NAACP, National Consumers League, National Education Association, National Partnership for Women & Families, National Retail Federation, National Women's Law Center, NOW, Oxfam America, UAW, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, among others.