NEW YORK CITY — Amazon was hit with a proposed nationwide class action lawsuit Tuesday, alleging the company systematically discriminated against thousands of its pregnant employees by firing some who took too much time off.
Four former warehouse employees filed the complaint, citing that Amazon routinely violated federal and New York worker-protection laws by denying pregnant workers basic accommodations like bathroom and water breaks, chairs, or time off for prenatal appointments, according to Reuters.
The Seattle-based retailer allegedly threatened and regularly fired its pregnant employees who missed too much work, and illegally demanded medical documentation from employees seeking accommodations, according to the complaint obtained by Reuters. The complaint also noted that those actions violated the federal Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and New York labor law.
“Amazon is one of this country’s largest employers, [and] it is no surprise that many of its workers become pregnant,” according to the complaint. “Yet Amazon violates the law at every turn.”
Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel stated that the company provides pregnancy-related accommodations to tens of thousands of employees each year, and had approved more than 99.9% of those requests in the last year.
“Ensuring the health and well-being of our employees is one of our greatest responsibilities,” Nantel said.
The lawsuit is seeking lost pay and...
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