In May 2017, the federal Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) was reintroduced with bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate!
“A federal PWFA will ensure that all pregnant workers across the country, particularly those in low-wage and physically demanding jobs, cannot be fired or pushed onto unpaid leave to stay on the job and have a healthy pregnancy,” said Dina Bakst, Co-Founder and Co-President of A Better Balance. “While A Better Balance has been proud to help move pregnancy discrimination laws forward in several states, no woman should face a lottery between a healthy pregnancy and her job because of where she lives. A bipartisan federal PWFA will end the patchwork of statewide laws and make it clear that any pregnant worker deserves reasonable job modifications.”
Inspired by an A Better Balance Op-Ed in the New York Times, Congress first introduced the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act in 2012. A Better Balance worked with legislators and a coalition of partners to draft the bill and we are one of the leaders in the campaign to make the PWFA a reality. The PWFA ensures pregnant workers will not be fired unnecessarily or denied reasonable job modifications that will keep them working while maintaining a healthy pregnancy.
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Op-Eds
- Op-ed (U.S. News): Peggy Young’s Victory Is Not Enough (by Dina Bakst)
- Op-ed (The Hill): Congress Should Help Pregnant Workers Stay Healthy and On the Job
Fact Sheets
- Fact sheet: The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act
- Fact sheet: Why Pregnant Workers Fairness Laws are Good for Business
- Fact sheet: Fairness for Pregnant Workers After Young v. UPS
- Fact sheet: Ensuring Safe & Healthy Pregnancies in the Workplace
Reports & Advocacy Materials
- Report: Pregnant and Jobless: Thirty-Seven Years After Pregnancy Discrimination Act, Pregnant Women Still Choose Between A Paycheck and A Healthy Pregnancy
- Report: It Shouldn’t Be A Heavy Lift: Fair Treatment for Pregnant Workers
- Webinar: Fair Treatment for Pregnant Workers: Training for Advocates & Policy Makers
- Powerpoint presentation: Businesses for Treating Pregnant Workers Fairly
Business Support
- U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce letter of support
- Cynthia DiBartolo, Chairperson of the Greater New York Chamber of Commerce and CEO of Tigress Financial Partners LLC, letter of support of the PWFA
- Support from two South Carolina business publications, the Upstate Business Journal and Propel HR, after the passage of a pregnant workers fairness law in that state.
- Support from Davis Chamber of Commerce for state pregnant workers fairness legislation in Utah
- Support from Associated Industries of Massachusetts, a business association with 4,000 employer members, for state-level pregnant workers fairness legislation
Organizational Letters of Support
- Letter of support for the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act from over 100 supporting organizations
- Coalition for Quality Maternity Care letter of support
- Letter of support for the PWFA from the March of Dimes
- Letter from ABB Supporting Senate Budget 2015 Amendment 632, Supporting Pregnant Workers