In 2012, Reyna* found out she was pregnant. (*Reyna asked that we not use her last name because she is undocumented.) As part of her job working as a prep cook in a restaurant, she had to lift heavy supplies, stand on things to put ingredients on high shelves, and move pots of hot water. She was worried about whether her job was safe for her pregnancy, but didn’t know what to do. “I am an immigrant, I have no rights,” she thought.
She decided to tell her boss about her pregnancy and asked for help. His reply: “You can stay in your job, as long as you work as normal.” She couldn’t afford to lose the work. Instead, she worked extra hours to make up for the time she needed for doctor’s appointments, secretly ate to fill her pregnancy cravings, and had to listen to coworkers comment about her body and ability to keep working. She also got a second job to save money in case she got fired after the baby came.
Although there are a number of worker protections for people who are pregnant, according to Sophia Elliot, an attorney with The Women’s Law Project, Reyna’s story is not unique.
Your rights at work if you’re pregnant vary depending on where you are and where you work, how long you’ve worked there, how big your employer is, and more. It can get confusing, so we’ve broken it all down.
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