In an ironic twist, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has announced that Philadelphia-based Mothers Work, Inc., which does business as Motherhood Maternity, will pay $375,000 to settle a lawsuit charging that the maternity clothes retailer refused to hire pregnant applicants. In addition, the EEOC charged that the company retaliated against a former assistant manager, LaShonda Burns, after she complained about the company’s allegedly discriminatory hiring practices with respect to pregnant job candidates. The lawsuit was filed in a Florida federal court.
As part of the settlement, Mothers Work—which owns the Mimi Maternity, A Pea in the Pod, and Maternitymall.com brands—has agreed to adopt and distribute an anti-discrimination policy that specifically prohibits denying women employment opportunities because of their pregnancy. The company will also train its Florida employees on the new policy and federal antibias laws; post a notice regarding the lawsuit resolution; and report to EEOC twice annually regarding pregnancy discrimination complaints.
Join us this fall in San Francisco for the California Employment Law Update conference, a 3-day event that will teach you everything you need to know about new laws and regulations, and your compliance obligations, for the year ahead—it’s one-stop shopping at its best.
Additional Resources:
Avoiding Pregnancy Bias Claims
Discrimination Prevention Checklist
Pregnancy discrimination information Equal Employment Opportunity Commission