West Palm Beach Pregnancy Discrimination Attorney
Standing Up for the Rights of Pregnant Women
Pregnancy is a natural, essential part of life. Sadly, many pregnant individuals are discriminated against in the workplace despite this.
Pregnant workers often face discrimination and are passed up for promotions and raises, denied necessary and proper accommodations. They may face harassment, threats, and, sometimes, even violence in the workplace. Even just the idea that an employee could potentially get pregnant might lead employers to discriminate against them based merely on their sex or gender.
At, Sconzo Law Office, our West Palm Beach pregnancy discrimination attorneys are not afraid to stand up to even the largest of employers when it comes to such actions. If you believe your rights have been violated, contact an experienced discrimination attorney near you today.
If you choose our firm, we will listen to you during a free and confidential consultation, help you see what your options are, and decide which course of action is best. If you choose to take legal action, we will stand by your side throughout your case and fight to help you achieve the results you deserve.
Laws Against Pregnancy Discrimination
Discrimination based on pregnancy (or the idea that a woman could leave a job to take maternity leave due to a potential pregnancy) is illegal on both the federal and state levels in Florida.
The Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978
Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, as amended by the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 (PDA), states that employers cannot discriminate against job applicants or workers on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions. The PDA also requires that employers treat those affected by pregnancy, childbirth, and related conditions the same way they treat non-pregnant employees who are similarly situated.
Florida Civil Rights Act
The Florida Civil Rights Act (FCRA) provides the same level of protection and similarly applies to employers with 15 or more employees (Title VII and the PDA also apply to workplaces with 15 employees or more). Individual counties may offer their own protections as well, and those may apply to those who work at companies that employ less than 15 people (i.e. Palm Beach County, Broward County, Miami Dade County and Hillsborough County).
The bottom line is you cannot be terminated from any job simply for being pregnant. If this has happened to you or someone you know, you can take legal action against your former employer should you choose to fight back.
What Does Pregnancy Discrimination Look Like?
Examples of pregnancy discrimination may include:
- A workplace that refuses to hire a pregnant applicant
- Being asked during a job interview whether you are or plan to get pregnant
- Demoting an employee when they return to work after a pregnancy-related leave
- Firing, disciplining, or harassing an employee for breastfeeding or pumping breast milk
- Forcing an employee to take time off or change jobs or refusing to consider them for a promotion because of pregnancy
- Harassment based on pregnancy (offensive comments, insults, physical assaults, threats, etc.)
- Not providing reasonable accommodations for pregnant workers
- Restricting pregnancy-related family and medical leave
- Retaliating against an employee in some way because they complained about pregnancy discrimination
- Terminating or refusing to promote a pregnant employee
Additionally, under the PDA, a pregnancy-related medical condition such as morning sickness may be considered a temporary disability. An employer is required to provide the same benefits and treatments offered to those with other temporary disabilities.
If You’ve Been Discriminated Against Due to Pregnancy, You Can Fight Back
Many employers think they can get away with pregnancy discrimination and many others discriminate unconsciously based on ingrained stereotypes and biases. However, pregnancy discrimination is against the law and you have the right to fight back.
Talk to a superior if you haven’t already, preferably over email or otherwise in writing so you have a record of the incidences and your complaints. If this doesn’t go anywhere—or even if it does—you may benefit from hiring a attorney who can collect evidence and build a strong case on your behalf.
By working with us, we will do whatever we can to ensure you get rightfully compensated and that your employer never discriminates based on pregnancy again.
