The following is a statement from A Better Balance Co-President Dina Bakst:
“Unfortunately, Congressional leadership did not include the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act in the omnibus spending package, despite urging from advocacy groups from across the country. Every day, pregnant and postpartum workers are being forced to endure risks to their health or sacrifice their economic security as a result of being denied modest, medically-necessary accommodations, and it is long overdue that we address this systemic failure of the laws that govern our workplaces. As women have been forced out of the workforce en masse, and with new CDC data showing our country’s shameful maternal mortality rate has only increased during the pandemic, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act would provide immediate relief for millions of women across the country, so they can grow and plan their families without the stress and uncertainty of navigating workplaces that are hostile to their basic needs during and after pregnancy.
This Women’s History Month, lawmakers still have a rare bipartisan opportunity to finally prioritize the needs of pregnant and postpartum workers. The Pregnant Workers Fairness has twice passed in the House of Representatives with broad, sweeping support, and it is teed up and ready for immediate passage in the Senate after passing in the Senate HELP Committee in August. We urge Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to listen to the voices of moms across the country, and commit to bring the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act to a full Senate floor vote now.”
