Walmart Sued for Pregnancy Discrimination

Walmart is facing new charges of employment discrimination. A recently filed pregnancy discrimination suit alleges that the retail giant has unlawfully discriminated against workers for years.

Federal law prohibits pregnancy discrimination in a couple of ways. First, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act prohibits workplace discrimination on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions. Employers are also generally required to provide the same type of accommodations to pregnant employees as it does to other employees seeking accommodations based on medical conditions and/or disabilities.

For example, if your company gives extra leaves of absence to employees with medical conditions, they must extend this practice to pregnant women. Of course, the Family and Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”) also sets forth guidelines that apply in many situations also gives you certain rights if you need a leave of absence for your pregnancy or for the birth of your child.

According to the federal complaint, WalMart violated the rights of a pregnant woman by failing to make reasonable accommodations for her pregnancy, despite the fact that modifications were available for non-pregnant workers with disabilities who requested similar accommodations. This included requests such as lifting restrictions and light duty. She also requested the use of a chair, which was denied. The company also failed to provide her unpaid leave when requested, a potential violation of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

Walmart denies the allegations.

If you believe that you have suffered any type of employment discrimination, please contact the dedicated Atlanta employment discrimination lawyers at Buckley Bala Wilson Mew LLP for an immediate, confidential case evaluation.