Many mothers-to-be continue working while they are pregnant. As long as a woman is experiencing a normal, low-risk pregnancy and there are no hazards to her pregnancy on the job, she may choose to work right up until the last minutes before she goes into labor. The reason many women choose this option may have something to do with the fact that less than 40% of working women in the United States get paid maternity leave.
Federal and state antidiscrimination laws prohibit employers from making employment decisions on the basis of gender, including issues related to pregnancy. If a woman is offered a job, only to learn the offer has been rescinded due to pregnancy or her plans to become pregnant, she may have a valid pregnancy discrimination claim.
According to an announcement by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), rescinding a job offer to a qualified candidate because of a pregnancy is illegal pregnancy discrimination. A Maryland woman recently experienced this kind of discrimination firsthand.
After two interviews at Lifetime Fitness in Rockville, Maryland, the applicant was told to come in to complete new hire paperwork. The applicant then sent the gym an email with her work schedule, noting that she was 35 weeks pregnant. After that, Lifetime Fitness stopped communicating with her.
Two weeks later, a manager at the Minnesota based company allegedly told the applicant that her position had been placed on hold. Meanwhile, two other people had been hired. The woman fought back, filing an employment discrimination claim against the company. A court ordered Lifetime Fitness, Inc. to pay $86,000.00 to the woman, and to furnish her with significant relief.
If you believe you may be the victim of pregnancy discrimination, contact the Philadelphia pregnancy discrimination lawyers at Sidney L. Gold & Associates, P.C. at 215-569-1999. We will fight hard to get you the financial compensation you deserve. You can also contact us online for a free confidential consultation. Our knowledgeable employment discrimination lawyers fight for women’s rights throughout the Philadelphia area, and in New Jersey and New York as well.
