Discrimination is never pretty, especially when it’s directed towards pregnant women. As any pregnant woman or previously pregnant woman will tell you, they have enough on their plate without having to worry about being discriminated against in the workplace. Unfortunately, workplace discrimination against moms-to-be happens often and sometimes even results in the pregnant woman losing her job. One woman, Sarah Alicea, learned first hand what pregnancy discrimination looks like, and filed a lawsuit as a result. Fortunately for her, her case recently reached a settlement in her favor.
Discrimination is never pretty, especially when it’s directed towards pregnant women. As any pregnant woman or previously pregnant woman will tell you, they have enough on their plate without having to worry about being discriminated against in the workplace. Unfortunately, workplace discrimination against moms-to-be happens often and sometimes even results in the pregnant woman losing her job. One woman, Sarah Alicea, learned first hand what pregnancy discrimination looks like, and filed a lawsuit as a result. Fortunately for her, her case recently reached a settlement in her favor.
Sarah Alicea of Cromwell, Connecticut was working as a police officer in 2017 when she found out she was expecting a child. However, according to the lawsuit, she eventually filed, when she notified her employer of her pregnancy, the town of Cromwell “refused to temporarily modify her job duties and instead forced her to take unpaid leave for the last four months of her pregnancy.”
Alicea decided to file a lawsuit against the town, alleging it was violating federal law by refusing to make temporary modifications to her job duties. According to the suit, which was officially filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on behalf of Alicea, “federal law requires covered employers, including law enforcement, to treat pregnant workers the same as they treat other workers who are similar in ability or inability to work…In Connecticut, employers must make a reasonable effort to transfer a pregnant employee to any suitable temporary position.”
The settlement announcement was welcome news to Alicea, who recently celebrated her daughter’s first birthday last month. When commenting on the settlement and her ordeal, she said:
“I spoke out to seek justice for me and my family and to make sure no other woman police officer has to experience what I have gone through…I am glad Cromwell has agreed to a policy change to prevent pregnancy from costing another officer her paycheck, and I hope more police departments will follow the town’s lead by creating strong anti-discrimination policies. When we celebrated my daughter’s first birthday in August, I did so knowing that I’ve made the world a better place for her.”
But what’s included in the settlement agreement? For starters, the town of Cromwell “agreed to adopt a pregnancy policy by the end of next month that conforms with state and federal protections, inform employees of their right to pregnancy accommodation and establish a procedure for employees to obtain reasonable accommodations for pregnancy while they work,” according to the ACLU. Additionally, the town will also reimburse Alicea for the “wages and paid time off benefits” she lost.
In a statement regarding the settlement, Dan Barrett, a legal director for the ACLU of Connecticut, said:
“A woman’s employer should never discriminate against her for choosing to grow or start a family…Connecticut towns and cities should take note: discriminating against pregnant workers is illegal, and no worker should have to experience what Sarah went through. Every town and city in the state should adopt a strong policy to protect pregnant workers’ rights, as Cromwell has promised to do.”
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