Nadler Seeks To Ensure Protections For Pregnant Women In The Workplace

The following is a press release from the office of U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today at a Judiciary Committee markup, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), the Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, offered an amendment to H.R. 3541 to require that steps be taken to finally ensure that women receive the protection from discrimination based on pregnancy that was promised by Congress in 1978, when it passed the Pregnancy Discrimination Act.  Nadler is currently drafting legislation – to be cosponsored by Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Jackie Speier (D-CA) – designed to ensure meaningful federal protections for pregnant workers.  Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) is also exploring legislation on this issue in the Senate.

“I was shocked to learn recently that many pregnant women, and women who have recently given birth, are not provided reasonable accommodations for their conditions at their places of work,” said Nadler.  “It is unconscionable that, nearly 35 years after passage of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978, women are still being forced to leave jobs, being denied basic and reasonable accommodations that would allow them to continue to work during pregnancy, and being paid less than other workers because of pregnancy and motherhood.  I will introduce legislation shortly to ensure that pregnant working women are provided the meaningful protection from discrimination that federal law demands.”

Nadler’s amendment, which was rejected by Judiciary Republicans, directs the U.S. Attorney General, in consultation with the Department of Labor and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, to make a report to the Judiciary Committee on the accessibility and availability of reasonable workplace accommodations for pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions.

U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler represents New York’s 8th Congressional District, which includes Manhattan’s Upper West Side, Hell’s Kitchen, Chelsea, SoHo, Greenwich Village, TriBeCa, the Financial District and Battery Park City. In Brooklyn, the 8th District includes parts of Borough Park, Red Hook, Sunset Park, Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst, Coney Island, Brighton Beach, Gravesend, Dyker Heights, Bath Beach and Seagate.