On Sep. 26, EEOC sued two employers for pregnancy discrimination.
EEOC sued employers Polaris Industries and Urologic Specialists of Oklahoma.
For failure to accommodate employees as required by the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) (42 USC 21G) and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) (42 USC 12101).
EEOC v. Polaris
Polaris refused to excuse employee's absence for pregnancy-related conditions and medical appointments, and required her to work mandatory overtime.
Overtime was required despite company knowing that her physician had restricted her from working over forty hours per week during the course of her pregnancy.
Because of her pregnancy-related absences, Polaris assessed attendance points against her warning she would be terminated if she acquired another such point.
As a result, the employee resigned to avoid termination and protect her pregnancy.
EEOC v. Urologic Specialists
Employer did not allow medical assistant to sit, take breaks, or work part-time as her physician said was needed during the final trimester of her high-risk pregnancy.
Forced her to take unpaid leave, refused to guarantee breaks to express breastmilk.
When she would not return to work without guaranteed breaks, USO terminated her.
Violations
Conduct violated PWFA, which requires firms to provide reasonable accommodations for employees who are pregnant, recently gave birth, or have related medical issues.
Urologic also violated ADA for no reasonable accommodations to disabled employee.
Regulators
EEOC
Entity Types
CNSM; Corp
Reference
PR, 9/26/2024; Citation: *42 USC* 21G, 12101;
Functions
Complaints; Compliance; HR; Legal; Record Retention
