As a worker for an armored truck company in New York City and the sole breadwinner of her family, Armanda asked to avoid heavy lifting during her pregnancy after she pulled a muscle on the job. Her employer responded by firing her, despite having previously accommodated a coworker who had injured his back on the job. Armanda lost her health insurance and had to apply for food stamps, struggling to make ends meet.
Armanda has been a powerful advocate for protections for pregnant workers, and testified before the US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions in support of the PWFA in 2014. “Once my baby arrived, just putting food on the table for him and my four-year-old was a challenge. I was forced to use water in his cereal at times because I could not afford milk.I was scared every time I looked in my empty fridge,” she said.
