Pregnancy often comes with physical restrictions that make certain warehouse tasks, such as heavy lifting, prolonged standing, or repetitive bending, temporarily unsafe. California law requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations for pregnant employees, including light-duty assignments when medically necessary. When a warehouse employer refuses to make these accommodations, despite a doctor’s recommendation, the employee may have grounds for a pregnancy discrimination claim.
Understanding the Legal Duty to Accommodate
California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act, along with the Pregnancy Disability Leave Law, requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations for pregnancy-related conditions, provided the accommodation doesn’t create an undue hardship. In a warehouse setting, this often means temporarily reassigning a pregnant employee to lighter tasks, reducing lifting requirements, or providing more frequent breaks. When an employer denies these accommodations without a legitimate, documented business justification, it can amount to unlawful discrimination.
What Refusal to Accommodate Can Look Like
Pregnancy accommodation denials can take several forms, including:
- Ignoring or dismissing a doctor’s note recommending modified duties
- Forcing a pregnant employee to continue full physical duties despite medical restrictions
- Pushing a pregnant employee onto unpaid leave instead of offering available light-duty work
- Reassigning light-duty tasks to other employees while denying them to the pregnant worker
- Making comments suggesting pregnancy accommodations are inconvenient or unnecessary
Building a Strong Pregnancy Discrimination Claim
Because accommodation denials often involve a mix of medical and workplace documentation, a strong claim typically includes:
- The original doctor’s note or medical restriction outlining necessary accommodations
- Written requests for accommodation submitted to the employer
- Any employer communications denying or delaying the requested accommodation
- Evidence that light-duty positions were available and given to other employees for non-pregnancy reasons
- A timeline connecting the accommodation request to any resulting negative treatment, such as forced leave or discipline
What Compensation May Be Available?
Employees who successfully establish a pregnancy discrimination claim may be entitled to back pay for wages lost during improperly forced leave, compensation for emotional distress, and other damages tied to the employer’s failure to accommodate. In some cases, reinstatement or policy changes may also be part of the resolution.
Why These Claims Are Often Contested
Employers sometimes argue that no light-duty positions were available or that the requested accommodation would create an undue hardship. Because these justifications can be difficult to verify without inside knowledge of the workplace, evidence showing that light-duty roles existed and were given to other employees, such as those recovering from non-pregnancy injuries, can be especially valuable in countering this defense.
What Should You Do If You’ve Been Denied Accommodations?
Pregnant employees facing resistance to medically necessary accommodations should submit requests in writing, keep copies of all medical documentation, and note any verbal responses or informal denials from supervisors. Acting quickly helps preserve a clear record before memories fade or informal practices go undocumented.
Get Help Protecting Your Pregnancy and Your Job
No employee should have to choose between a healthy pregnancy and their job. PLBH helps pregnant workers document accommodation denials and hold employers accountable under California law. If you or someone you know has been denied light-duty accommodations during pregnancy, contact PLBH at (800) 435-7542 to discuss your legal options.