Back in July, we wrote in this space about a dispute involving a pregnant delivery driver and her employer. National news outlets are now catching on to the story of the former Maryland UPS driver was fired after she became pregnant in 2006.
The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments in her appeal. The former part-time driver sued UPS, claiming that it violated the Pregnancy Discrimination Act.
UPS says it did not discriminate against her. Her job description called for her to be able to lift 70 pounds. When she came to work with a note from her doctor saying she should not lift more than 20 pounds because of her pregnancy, the company said it had no choice but to inform her that she must take unpaid leave until she was past her pregnancy.
The Washington Post recently ran an extensive article on the case, including a photo of the woman and her employment law attorney who “have a shared conviction: No one, they say, should be forced to choose between continuing her job or continuing her pregnancy.”
Whether or not the 42-year-old woman prevails before the high court, she has already made an impact on her former employer. UPS announced in October that it has changed its policy and will now consider making accommodations for pregnant workers.
The announcement was contained in the firm’s Supreme Court brief.
The former driver notes that in her UPS job, she had seen the company grant accommodations to drivers who had been in accidents and to drivers convicted of drunken driving. Drivers who were being disciplined by the company were also granted accommodations. However, pregnant drivers got no accommodations whatsoever.
We will have more on this important case in future posts. However, anyone who has been discriminated against in the workplace because of their pregnancy can discuss their circumstances now with an experienced Greenbelt employment law attorney.