U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senator:
On behalf of our 3 million members and the nearly 50 million students they teach and support, we ask you to support the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (S. 1486) and help bring it to the floor for a vote as soon as possible.
We celebrated Labor Day this week and the many contributions and sacrifices working people—half of whom are women—make every day to strengthen communities across America. The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act recognizes that women, although critical breadwinners in their families, are often pushed out of their jobs or forced to risk their health to continue earning a paycheck. The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act would improve their circumstances by:
- Clarifying existing laws and creating a uniform national standard for reasonable accommodations for pregnancy, childbirth, and related conditions.
- Providing reasonable accommodations to pregnant women to reduce health risks to them and their babies.
- Prohibiting employers from denying a pregnant worker employment opportunities or forcing the worker to take an accommodation that is not wanted or needed.
- Prohibiting employers from forcing a pregnant worker to take leave when another reasonable accommodation could keep her on the job.
- Requiring the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to make rules implementing the law, including a list of exemplary accommodations that should be provided unless they pose an undue hardship to employers.
- Addressing issues through a framework modeled after the Americans with Disabilities Act.
More than three-quarters of women will be pregnant and employed at the same time; they must be able to continue supporting their families without risking their health. The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act is crucial to bringing about more fairness in the workplace. We ask you to do all you can to ensure this legislation receives a vote.
Sincerely,
Marc Egan
Director of Government Relations
National Education Association
