Providence is facing a lawsuit from the state of Washington, which alleges the large nonprofit system fell short on accommodating its pregnant and nursing employees.
Filed Wednesday by Attorney General Nick Brown’s office, the complaint references an investigation covering incidents dating back to 2021.
The office alleges Providence “regularly” outright refused accommodations such as limited lifting or more frequent sitting, delayed its responses to an accommodation request for up to a month or granted employees’ requests without actually implementing the accommodation. It also describes a policy that employees demonstrate their need for accommodation with a note from their provider, which would be illegal for certain accommodations.
Additionally, the office alleged that some of the employees “experienced retaliation after requesting a pregnancy accommodation and were treated with hostility by supervisors for making their accommodation request. Some employees were terminated or constructively discharged after seeking pregnancy accommodations,” according to the complaint (PDF) filed in a state court.
The alleged actions are violations of the state’s Healthy Starts Act and the Washington Law Against Discrimination, according to the suit. A release announcing the litigation described the alleged denied accommodations as “bitterly ironic” considering the prenatal and postnatal services Providence delivers to thousands of patients.
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