Having a baby can be one of the most important and exciting stages in one’s life. However, expecting mothers who are employed may find themselves wondering how the pregnancy will impact their continued employment, and worry about losing their job and the income which it provides. Naturally, pregnant employees might find themselves wondering things like “are there any legal protections for my rights? What are those protections?”
The good news is that there are both state and federal laws that provide significant protections to employees who are pregnant. While these protections are far too many to even list, much less discuss in a single blog, some of the most important protections include the following:
The Law Requires Employers to Provide Pregnancy Leave
The California Pregnancy Disability Leave Law is part of the California Fair Employment and Housing Act. The Pregnancy Disability Leave Law requires employers to provide employees with up to four months of leave for disability due to an employee’s pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. After a pregnancy disability leave, an employee will still have the right to take a leave of up to 12 weeks under the California Family Rights Act for the reason of the birth of her child, if the child has been born by this date provided, of course, that the entire California Family Rights Act leave was not taken before the pregnancy disability leave.
The Law Prohibits Discrimination on the Basis of Pregnancy
The California Fair Employment and Housing Act prohibit an employer from taking any adverse action against a protected individual (www.akopyanlaw.com/pregnancy-discrimination/) based on his or her pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions of a female employee. Similarly, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects employees from discrimination based on an array of traits and characteristics that are part of an individual’s sex and gender, and that includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or medical conditions related to pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding.
The Law Requires Employers to Accommodate Pregnancy
All employers within the meaning of the California Fair Employment and Housing Act are required by law to reasonably accommodate employees for conditions related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. An employer must provide reasonable accommodation to an employee affected by a pregnancy, if she so requests, based on the advice of her health care provider. For instance, a pregnant employee may request, as an accommodation, a temporary transfer to a less strenuous or hazardous position if the request is based on the advice of her physician and the employer can reasonably accommodate the transfer.
Contact Akopyan Law Firm A.P.C.
Akopyan Law Firm A.P.C. has highly rated and experienced lawyers to advise on pregnancy discrimination in the workplace. We offer new clients a complimentary case evaluation. Our complimentary evaluation is a risk-free way for potential clients to learn about their options. We may also offer contingency-fee services, so clients do not have to pay upfront fees or retainers. Instead, we take an agreed-upon sum from any result we may achieve on the client’s behalf. We are experienced lawyers that consistently get results. Contact Akopyan Law Firm, A.P.C. when help is needed from a lawyer with plenty of experience in pregnancy discrimination claims. Visit the blog post to learn more about the causes and solutions of pregnancy discrimination.