| As a starting point one thing should be made very | | | | * Fringe Benefits: Benefits cannot be given only |
| clear: You cannot be discriminated against for being | | | | to married couples. Benefits cannot be provided |
| pregnant! You cannot be fired. You cannot be refused | | | | differently to pregnant and non-pregnant employees. |
| employment. You cannot be demoted. You cannot be | | | | Seniority, vacation, pay,temporary disability benefits, |
| docked pay. | | | | must all be the same as all other employees. |
| Unfortunately, it seems to be a fairly common | | | | *This list is not all inclusive. See an attorney if you feel |
| occurrence that once a woman becomes pregnant | | | | as if you have, or are, suffering some sort of |
| her formerly nice and reasonable employer treats her | | | | mistreatment. |
| differently. Treating a woman differently – unless | | | | Additionally, the law prevents retaliation for complaining |
| it’s to say how awesome it is that she’s | | | | about discrimination either to your employer or to the |
| pregnant – is likely to be illegal. | | | | EEOC. States and local governments may also have |
| In 1978, Congress enacted the Pregnancy | | | | laws that are similar to the PDA. For example, in Illinois |
| Discrimination Act (PDA) as an amendment to Title VII | | | | the city of Chicago, Cook County, and the state of |
| of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In doing so Congress | | | | Illinois all have laws intended to prevent or remedy |
| made clear that women were not to be punished for | | | | pregnancy discrimination. There are also administrative |
| becoming mothers. | | | | forums at each of these levels devoted to hearing |
| The PDA prohibits discrimination in areas and ways, | | | | claims of discrimination and providing remedies, including |
| including*: | | | | monetary damages. |
| * Hiring/Firing: An employer cannot refuse to hire | | | | Women who suffer, or believe that they may have |
| a woman because of her pregnancy or a related | | | | suffered, discrimination need to file a charge of |
| condition and cannot fire a woman for those things | | | | discrimination with the EEOC within 180 days of the |
| either. | | | | date of the last act of discrimination. The various local |
| * Pregnancy & Maternity Leave: An | | | | and state agencies may have different filing times but |
| employer: cannot single out pregnant women for | | | | many mirror the 180 day filing requirement set by the |
| special procedures to determineher ability to work; | | | | federal government as well as the types of |
| must hold open the job while she is on pregnancy | | | | discrimination considered illegal. Missing the filing date |
| leave; must treather the same as any temporarily | | | | may eliminate the women’s right to sue so careful |
| disabled worker if she is unable to perform her | | | | attention must be paid to the date, or dates, the act of |
| dutiesfor a short time; must allow her to work if she is | | | | discrimination took place. |
| able. | | | | As always, it’s best to consult a local attorney |
| * Health Insurance: Employer provided health | | | | about a claim of discrimination but these forums will |
| insurance must cover pregnancy and | | | | allow a woman to file her claim without a lawyer and |
| pregnancy-relatedconditions on the same basis as | | | | some will investigate the claims using trained personnel. |
| other medical issues. | | | | |