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Amazon faces nationwide lawsuit alleging discrimination against pregnant workers
The complaint seeks lost wages and benefits, punitive damages, and an injunction, arguing Amazon denies accommodations like chairs, bathroom access, water breaks, and time off for prenatal appointments.
Amazon.com was sued on Sept. 8 in a proposed nationwide class action accusing the company of systematically discriminating against thousands of pregnant employees, including by firing workers it alleges took too much time off, according to an Insurance Journal report. The complaint filed in Brooklyn federal court by four former warehouse employees says Amazon routinely violates federal and New York worker protection laws by denying basic accommodations. The filing alleges Amazon refuses chairs and access to bathroom and water breaks, and limits time off for prenatal appointments, while demanding medical documentation from employees seeking accommodations and threatening or regularly firing workers who miss too much work. The lawsuit argues the alleged conduct violates the federal Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and New York labor law. It seeks lost pay and benefits, punitive damages, and an injunction aimed at stopping discrimination against pregnant employees. Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said the retailer provides pregnancy-related accommodations to tens of thousands of employees annually and approved more than 99.9% of requests in the last year. The case also comes after earlier lawsuits, including New Jersey’s action brought 11 months earlier and New York’s case filed in 2022, according to the report.