A female security guard in DC, who was pregnant with twins, experienced repeated harassment from her supervisor after disclosing her pregnancy. Her supervisor complained about her not wearing the required uniform, which could not fit over her growing belly. When she was rushed to the emergency room for pregnancy complications and was unable to give advance notice, her supervisor threatened to discipline her.
The security guard had already taken unpaid leave and was at risk of losing her job when she reached out to First Shift Justice Project, a DC Bar Foundation grantee. Fortunately, the lawyers at First Shift Justice Project stepped in to draft documents clarifying the client’s rights and communicated with her employer on her behalf.
This is the kind of outcome our grants program makes possible, through funding to the First Shift Justice Project for their Latina Outreach Project. The Protecting Pregnant Workers Fairness Act of 2014 requires District of Columbia employers to provide reasonable workplace accommodations for employees whose ability to perform job duties is limited because of pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or a related medical condition. First Shift’s mission is to empower low-income pregnant women and parents to safeguard the health and economic security of their families by asserting their workplace rights. Within this grant, First Shift Justice Project received funding to provide training to employers about DC pregnancy accommodation laws and deliver legal services to low-income immigrant women.
Learn more about the life-changing impact of our grants on our website.
Comments