EEOC fights pregnancy discrimination, sues massage chain

In light of an influx of employers being sued for pregnancy discrimination — and losing their cases — in recent years, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission released new guidelines to help employers prevent pregnancy discrimination earlier this month. The new guidelines say that denying a woman work, or demoting or firing her due to pregnancy, intent to become pregnant, previous pregnancies, or being afflicted with a pregnancy-related medical condition is illegal and a form of sex discrimination. Related medical conditions can include mandatory bed rest, complications after delivery, lactation and even minor problems such as back pain. Employers are required to make “reasonable accommodations” for these and other pregnancy-related medical conditions, which may also qualify under the Americans With Disabilities Act. Mind Your Business is pleased to hear the EEOC is paying attention to this issue, and fully supports the EEOC in its initiatives against pregnancy discrimination. Just days before the new guidelines were released, the EEOC sued CCR Wellness Investments — also known as the massage chain Massage Envy — after a clinic manager in North Carolina fired an employee because she was pregnant. The employee, Morgan McCloskey, found out she was pregnant in the days between her interview and her first day of work. She informed the clinic manager of her pregnancy on her first day, and was fired four days later. The clinic manager said that “pregnant women should not be working,” according to EEOC documents. Before the new guidelines were released, the EEOC’s pregnancy discrimination information had not been updated since 1983. The Pregnancy Discrimination Act protects women who are pregnant from discrimination in the workplace. That act is an amendment to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. photo credit: Sean Molin Photography via photopin cc]]>