Discrimination against pregnant women is a very real economic problem. Read ERA’s report ”Expecting a Baby, Not a Lay-off: Why Federal Law Should Require the Reasonable Accommodation of Pregnant Workers” and ERA’s accounting of  the effects of pregnancy discrimination on real women.

Other stakeholders from across the country have also come out in support of the PWFA. You can read a letter from the president-elect of The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists or one from Hawai’i Civil Rights Commission. Or you can check out this letter to Congress, signed by dozens of organizations advocating for the passage of the bill. The PWFA is already supported by over 100 members of Congress. In the below video, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) discusses why.

A sample letter of support you can send to your member of Congress can be downloaded here. You can find contact information for your local congresswoman or congressman here and here.

Earlier this year in conjunction with the introduction of the House version of the bill, ERA released a ground-breaking report highlighting the importance of the new law for working women and their families. Entitled Expecting a Baby, Not a Lay-Off: Why Federal Law Should Require the Reasonable Accommodation of Pregnant Workers, the report traces 12 years of success of similar legislation in California. The report is available online at http://www.equalrights.org/media/2012/ERA-PregAccomReport.pdf.

“Working families need and want to keep working. ERA strongly supports the PWFA because similar protections under California law make the case for federal change,” said Noreen Farrell, ERA’s Executive Director. “Pregnant women are working with accommodations. Businesses are benefitting from happy and productive long-term employees. It is a win-win.”

To hear the stories of pregnant workers and the simple accommodations that they need but are denied at work, read The Refusal to Accommodate Pregnant Workers: Real Accounts of the Devastating Consequences for Workers and Their Families, compiled by a coalition of national women’s advocacy organizations and Equal Rights Advocates.

About Equal Rights Advocates
Equal Rights Advocates (ERA), founded in 1974, is a national civil rights organization dedicated to protecting and expanding economic and educational access and opportunities for women and girls. Through its campaign approach—incorporating public education, legislative advocacy, and litigation—ERA seeks to assist women and girls throughout a life-long continuum: ensuring equality in their educational experience, combating sex discrimination in the workforce, and advocating for workplaces hospitable to working families. To learn more about ERA’s work, visit www.equalrights.org.

CONTACT:
Noreen Farrell, Executive Director- Equal Rights Advocates, 415-575-2398; nfarrell@equalrights.org

San Francisco—Equal Rights Advocates announced today that the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) has reached the 100 co-sponsor mark and continues to build support nationally. The PWFA would ensure that pregnant women are not forced out of jobs unnecessarily or denied reasonable job modifications that would allow them to continue working. The bill was introduced by Representatives Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Jackie Speier (D-CA) and Susan Davis (D-CA) on May 8, 2012 and is supported by Equal Rights Advocates and other women’s advocacy organizations, unions, and business groups.

“California has led the nation in requiring reasonable accommodations to allow pregnant women to keep working as long as they are willing and able and it is high time for the federal government to follow suit by passing this legislation,” stated Noreen Farrell, Executive Director of Equal Rights Advocates, a national legal advocacy organization for women and girls. A recent study by Equal Rights Advocates, highlighting California’s 12 years of experience with a similar law, shows that litigation and discrimination claims decreased and that pregnancy accommodations often involve practices helpful to all employees and can benefit an employer’s bottom line.

To learn more about the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and ERA’s Report, Expecting a Baby Not A Lay-Off: Why Federal Law Should Require the Reasonable Accommodation of Pregnant Workers, see www.equalrights.org.

The legislation has the support of a broad coalition of civil rights and women’s advocacy organizations, unions, and business associations, including: A Better Balance; the AFL-CIO; the American Association of University Women; the American Civil Liberties Union; the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; California Women’s Law Center; Equal Rights Advocates; Hadassah; the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights; Legal Aid Society-Employment Law Center; Legal Momentum; the Main Street Alliance; the National Partnership for Women & Families; the National Organization for Women Foundation; the National Women’s Law Center; and many others.

Equal Rights Advocates is a nonprofit legal organization dedicated to protecting and expanding economic and educational access and opportunities for women and girls.

On May 8, 2012, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) was introduced by U.S. Representatives Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Jackie Speier (D-CA), Susan Davis (D-CA), and other legislators. HR 5467 would require employers to provide pregnant workers with reasonable accommodations to enable them to continue working during a financially crucial time in their lives.

“Working families need and want to keep working. ERA strongly supports the Pregnant Worker Fairness Act because similar protections under California law make the case for federal change,” said Noreen Farrell, ERA’s Executive Director. “Pregnant women are working with accommodations. Businesses are benefiting from happy and productive long-term employees. It is a win-win.”

The Report first examines why current federal law has not consistently ensured the minor accommodation of employees who are able to work during their pregnancies. It then tracks the development of state laws that require accommodations for pregnant workers, with a particular focus on the sweeping success of California’s pregnancy accommodation law, as support for change at the federal level.

The California data considered in ERA’s Report – ERA’s Hotline and experience with clients, cases based on state pregnancy accommodation laws, and statistical data about complaints filed with California’s state administrative agency – provide important insight into how California employees and business have fared since California’s pregnancy accommodation law went into effect in 2000.

Key findings of include:

• The number of court and administrative decisions involving California’s pregnancy accommodation law is very low, suggesting that the law has not prompted a flood of litigation.
• The accommodations sought are generally modest, reasonable, and easily met by employers
•  Accommodation laws are particularly important for protecting low-wage hourly workers.
•  Pregnancy accommodations often involve practices helpful to all employees and can benefit the employer’s bottom line.
•  California’s pregnancy accommodation law has not prompted more pregnancy discrimination.  In contrast to federal law discrimination charges, which have risen by 54 percent since 1997, the number of pregnancy discrimination charges filed with California’s state agency has decreased since 1997.

The Report contains a number of case studies that show the need for the new federal law. The story of Maria is a case in point. Maria handles security duties for a California employer. When Maria discovered that she was pregnant, she requested a stool to sit on and more frequent duty rotation so she could move more throughout the day. Her employer refused to accommodate her pregnancy limitations and placed her on involuntary early leave. ERA intervened on Maria’s behalf and informed the employer about the requirements of California’s pregnancy accommodation law. After a productive brainstorming session exploring possible solutions, the matter was quickly resolved without undue stress to Maria and without litigation. Rather than sit home without pay, Maria continued to be a productive employee for months. She preserved her Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave for when she needed it most.

Women in other states who are profiled in the report were not so lucky. Angie, a train conductor in Mississippi, was forced to take three extra months of unpaid leave instead of allowing her to work with the occasional assistance of willing co-workers. The stress and financial strain was immense for Angie, who was already anxious about becoming the sole support for her new family. Equal Rights Advocates was limited by federal and Mississippi law in its ability to assist Angie.

Celebrate Mother’s Day by supporting the PWFA at www.equalrights.org