By Jay Starkman, CEO of Engage PEO and Camille Cooper, Assistant General Counsel and HR Consultant for Engage PEO. As published in Workforce Magazine
News broke earlier this year that Walmart was facing a potential class-action lawsuit in New York for allegations of pregnancy discrimination.
This lawsuit is one of several nationwide that claim that some of the nation’s largest businesses are systematically punishing pregnant employees with discriminatory policies.
Employers are facing increased exposure and liability for pregnancy discrimination claims. The number of pregnancy discrimination claims filed annually with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has been steadily rising for two decades and is hovering near an all-time high. In 2017, more than 3,174 cases of pregnancy discrimination were filed with the EEOC.