Pregnant Amazon workers forced to stand and denied hospital breaks, lawsuit claims

Pregnant Amazon workers forced to stand and denied hospital breaks, lawsuit claims A group of former Amazon warehouse employees is suing the company for systemically discriminating against pregnant workers - Bookmark Amazon is facing a proposed nationwide class action lawsuit brought by four former warehouse employees who allege the retail giant systematically discriminates against pregnant staff members. The legal action, filed Tuesday in a federal court in Brooklyn, New York, claims Amazon penalizes workers for taking breaks to pump milk or attend hospital appointments while withholding standard workplace adjustments. The plaintiffs argue the company is in breach of the 2022 Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, a federal statute requiring businesses with 15 or more employees to grant "reasonable accommodation" for medical conditions tied to pregnancy and childbirth, unless doing so would cause "undue hardship." "Denying a pregnant worker a stool, a lighter workload, or a bathroom break is a violation of federal law — it’s that simple," said Inimai Chettiar, president of A Better Balance, a nonprofit group representing the plaintiffs alongside the law firm Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel. "Amazon has built an empire on speed and efficiency — speed and efficiency that too often sacrifices the rights of pregnant workers it refuses to accommodate." Amazon rejected the allegations, calling the filing's narrative inaccurate. "Ensuring the health and well-being of our employees is one of our greatest responsibilities, and we strive to provide a safe and supportive environment for everyone, which includes supporting tens of thousands of employees with pregnancy accommodations each year," said Kelly Nantel, an Amazon spokesperson. Nantel said the business approved "more than 99.9% of pregnancy-related accommodations" during the previous year, adding that "the accounts shared by A Better Balance contain inaccuracies and omit important details." A Better Balance led a decade-long campaign behind the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act to highlight the challenges low-wage workers face when employers remove them from their roles after they ask for minor adjustments, including chairs, light duty, or time off for prenatal appointments. Though the legislation was passed with broad bipartisan support and went into effect in June 2023, it has confronted legal challenges from religious organizations and Republican-led states objecting to Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) rules that extended accommodations to staff seeking abortions. A federal judge subsequently invalidated the abortion provision, which the EEOC plans to revise under its Republican majority. A separate suit brought by the state of Texas challenges the law's overall constitutionality based on how the House passed the measure in December 2022. Despite the ongoing litigation, the EEOC continues to actively enforce the act. The complaint against Amazon notes that the company's "discriminatory and retaliatory policies" toward pregnant workers are already highlighted in state probes in New York and New Jersey, as well as EEOC findings. One plaintiff, Jennifer Hatch, processed returns at a facility in Lancaster, New York, a role requiring continuous standing and heavy lifting. Following a high-risk pregnancy diagnosis in January 2025, her doctor advised regular sitting breaks, an eight-hour shift limit, and a 30-pound lifting cap. According to the lawsuit, Amazon delayed and ultimately refused her requests. In March 2025, a manager reportedly barred Hatch from using an open chair during her shift, even as she struggled to breathe. When she left work early on several occasions to seek hospital care for abdominal pain, Amazon deducted hours from her unpaid leave balance before terminating her employment for attendance violations. "Lower wage, shift, and hourly women workers are foundational to this country’s economy — yet they’re being treated as disposable. And practices that deny pregnant workers simple accommodations that pose no threat to productivity are not just unfair, they’re illegal," Chettiar said in an emailed statement.