Pregnant Worker Protection Passes!
After a long battle, pregnant worker protection finally passes. Discrimination law has always protected pregnant workers, but that duty to accommodate pregnancy was narrow, leaving workers without ability to get breaks, to temporarily avoid hazardous positions or to get help with manual labor. Employers may still deny accommodations if the employer would suffer undue hardship, but the playing field is being leveled.
The new law, which takes effect April 1, 2018, requires employers to provide pregnancy related reasonable accommodations and prohibits employers from taking adverse action against workers who request or use such an accommodation, from refusing to hire pregnant applicants who are capable of performing the essential functions of a job, or requiring an employee to take leave when a reasonable accommodation could be provided. In short, pregnant workers can continue to work, without risking their pregnancy.
