Amazon Illegally Punished Pregnant Workers Who Sought Accommodations, Lawsuit Alleges

By Elias Schisgall A group of former Amazon.com warehouse employees is suing the company, alleging they were illegally punished and eventually terminated for seeking accommodations related to their pregnancies. The class-action, led by four ex-warehouse workers, alleges that Amazon deducted their bank of unpaid time off or flagged them for "time off-task" for medically necessary breaks or absences. One plaintiff was flagged for excessive time off-task for pumping in the company's lactation room, the lawsuit said. As the plaintiffs depleted their unpaid time bank and accrued time off-task, they were threatened with termination, the lawsuit alleges. Eventually, Amazon terminated the four employees "pursuant to its punitive policies," according to the lawsuit. The company also demanded medical documentation for every pregnancy-related accommodation request, including requests for sitting down, restroom breaks and an extra 15-minute break, the lawsuit said. The lawsuit claims Amazon's actions violate the federal Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which entitles pregnant employees to reasonable accommodations and pregnancy-related absences. "Amazon ignores the law, forcing pregnant employees to continue working without modifications, at great risk to their health," the lawsuit reads. The complaint seeks changes to Amazon's policies and compensation for previous and current violations of the PWFA. The company didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. The lawsuit adds to years of scrutiny of Amazon's treatment of pregnant workers. A group of senators in 2021 asked the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which enforces workplace anti-discrimination laws, to investigate allegations that Amazon failed to provide reasonable accommodations, citing multiple lawsuits filed in the late 2010s. More recently, in October of last year, New Jersey's then-attorney general, Matthew Platkin, sued Amazon in state court over its treatment of pregnant and disabled workers. Write to Elias Schisgall at elias.schisgall@wsj.com (END) Dow Jones Newswires 09-08-26 1248ET