An EEOC Pregnancy Discrimination Act (“PDA”) lawsuit was just filed against a North Carolina restaurant on behalf of a job applicant who was refused hiring because she was six months pregnant.
During the hiring interview, the applicant was asked how many months she had been pregnant, when she expected to deliver, her childcare plans, and how much maternity leave she planned to take. Three days later she was told that she was not hired, and “to call back after she had the baby and had childcare in place.”
EEOC attorneys said that “Working women who choose to have children cannot be penalized or treated differently from other employees simply because they are pregnant,” and “Pregnant women must be treated in the same manner as other applicants, and employers should not make inquiries related to pregnancy or deny a woman a job based on pregnancy.”
Many employers don’t know about the PDA, or have forgotten about it. The EEOC has not.