Amazon discriminated against thousands of pregnant – Business News
Amazon was sued on Tuesday in a proposed nationwide class motion accusing the retailer of systematically discriminating against thousands of pregnant staff, together with by firing some it claimed took an excessive amount of time off.
According to a grievance filed by 4 former warehouse staff, Amazon routinely violates federal and New York worker-protection legal guidelines by denying pregnant employees primary lodging corresponding to chairs, lavatory and water breaks, and time off for prenatal appointments.
The grievance mentioned Amazon threatens and recurrently fires pregnant staff who miss an excessive amount of work, and illegally calls for medical documentation from these in search of lodging. It mentioned these actions violate the federal Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and New York labor law.
According to a grievance filed by 4 former warehouse staff, Amazon routinely violates federal and New York worker-protection legal guidelines by denying pregnant employees primary lodging corresponding to chairs, lavatory and water breaks, and time off for prenatal appointments. Getty Images
“Amazon is one of this country’s largest employers, [and] it is no surprise that many of its workers become pregnant,” in accordance with the grievance filed within the Brooklyn, New York, federal courtroom. “Yet Amazon violates the law at every turn.”
Kelly Nantel, an Amazon spokesperson, mentioned the retailer supplies pregnancy-related lodging to tens of thousands of staff yearly, and permitted more than 99.9% of requests within the final 12 months. “Ensuring the health and well-being of our employees is one of our greatest responsibilities,” she mentioned.
The lawsuit seeks misplaced pay and advantages, punitive damages, and an injunction against discrimination against pregnant staff.
Amazon has long confronted complaints in courtroom about its therapy of staff, together with these in search of to unionize.
The Seattle-based retailer is the second-largest US personal employer, trailing Walmart, with 1.58 million full-time and part-time staff on the finish of 2025. AP Photo/Michael Sohn
The Seattle-based retailer is the second-largest US personal employer, trailing Walmart, with 1.58 million full-time and part-time staff on the finish of 2025.
Hospitalization led to dismissal, lawsuit says
Tuesday’s lawsuit was filed by A Better Balance, a nonprofit that advocates for employees’ rights.
It got here 11 months after New Jersey sued Amazon, accusing it of widespread discrimination against warehouse staff who had disabilities or had been pregnant. New York filed a comparable case in 2022.
Amazon has long confronted complaints in courtroom about its therapy of staff, together with these in search of to unionize. USA TODAY Network through Reuters Connect
One plaintiff, Willamina Barclay, mentioned Amazon gave her a termination warning on June 17, 2025, someday after she was taken in a wheelchair out of its Rochester, NY, warehouse and hospitalized with a pregnancy-related emergency.
Barclay mentioned she was struggling extreme belly ache from lifting heavy objects, however Amazon claimed the hospital go to pushed her over her restrict for unpaid time off, and docked her as a result of she “worked partially that day.”
Start your day with all you need to know
Morning Report delivers the most recent information, videos, pictures and more.
Thanks for signing up!
She was fired 5 days later, the grievance mentioned.
Nantel mentioned the 4 plaintiffs’ accounts “contain inaccuracies and omit important details.”
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission plans in November to suggest adjustments to laws underlying the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.
That company has aligned itself with President Trump’s insurance policies, and EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas mentioned in 2024 that the laws for pregnant staff are too broad.
The EEOC didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark. The workplace of New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport, whose predecessor filed that state’s lawsuit, didn’t instantly reply to comparable requests.
