The Pregnancy Discrimination Act forbids discrimination in any aspect of employment including pay, job assignments, leave, and healthcare. This means that a company’s healthcare plan may not exclude certain benefits that apply only to women, such as maternity coverage or coverage for conditions or complications related to pregnancy. Additionally, pregnant women have the same rights to leave and FMLA time as any other employee.
Our Philadelphia Pregnancy Discrimination Attorneys are Experts in FMLA Requirements
The Family and Medical Leave Act, known as FMLA, is a labor law that requires employers to provide employees with unpaid leave for their own health purposes, or to care for a family member’s medical issues. FMLA applies to pregnancy and maternity leave, during which new mothers take time off from work to recover from childbirth, and to take care of their newborn child.
Pregnancy discrimination can occur during the interview process, during employment, and in the termination of employment. While the law doesn’t give pregnant women any additional rights in the workplace, it does say that reasonable accommodations should be made for the pregnant woman, just as accommodations are made for those with disabilities. Overall, the law is designed to prevent employers from treating pregnant employees differently or less favorably than other employees. If this happens contact an experienced pregnancy discrimination lawyer in Philadelphia or Mount Laurel, NJ to discuss your evidence.
Discuss Evidence of Discrimination with a Pregnancy Discrimination Lawyer in Philadelphia and Mount Laurel
It is not uncommon for there to be direct evidence of pregnancy discrimination because employers sometimes openly admit that an employee’s pregnancy was a factor in their decision-making for their negative action against an employee (denying a promotion, firing, etc). To prove pregnancy discrimination with circumstantial evidence, according to Nolo.com, the facts of your case must make it more likely than not that pregnancy discrimination was behind your employer’s action. Timing is crucial with pregnancy discrimination cases, because unlike protected disabilities, pregnancy is a temporary condition. If the timing of your pregnancy announcement at work and the timing of when your employer started treating you differently sync up, you may have a strong case for pregnancy discrimination. Contact a Philadelphia pregnancy discrimination attorney to discuss your case right away. A pregnancy discrimination attorney in Mount Laurel and Philadelphia can help you assess the strength of your claims and decide your best legal options moving forward. State laws may offer more protection than federal law. Contact our Philadelphia pregnancy discrimination lawyer at 215-694-8885 to learn more.