Inspired by an A Better Balance Op-Ed in The New York Times, Congress first introduced the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) in 2012. A Better Balance worked with legislators to draft the bill and we are 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. A bipartisan federal PWFA will end the patchwork of statewide laws and make it clear that all pregnant workers in this country deserve reasonable job accommodations. In September 2020, the House of Representatives passed the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act in an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote. In 2021, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act was re-introduced and passed in the House of Representatives again in another overwhelmingly bipartisan vote (315-101), and was introduced in the Senate. A Better Balance testified at the PWFA’s first ever hearing in 2019, and again in 2021. See below for comprehensive resources on the legislation.
Resources on the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act
Fact Sheets
- Fact Sheet: The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act
- Fact Sheet: The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act Legal Backgrounder
- Fact Sheet: Bill Explainer — The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act
- FAQs: The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act
- (Video) The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act Is Long Overdue: Explainer
- 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
- Congressional resources: Text of the PWFA bill (H.R. 2694) and House Education & Labor Committee Report on PWFA
Pregnant Workers’ Experiences:
- The Women Who Inspired the Movement for the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act
- The Case for the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, In Stories
- (Video) Lyndi Trischler’s Story
- (Video) Armanda Legros’ Story
- Op-Ed in Ms. Magazine by ABB Community Advocate Takirah Woods: Accommodating Pregnant Workers is a Matter of Reproductive, Economic and Racial Justice
- (Video) Pregnant Workers Share Stories of Horrific Discrimination & Call on Congress to Act
- Op-Ed in The Hill by ABB Community Advocate Tasha Murrell: A paycheck or a healthy pregnancy? We shouldn’t have to choose
- Op-Ed in the Cincinnati Enquirer by ABB Community Advocate Lyndi Trischler: Put a stop to pregnancy discrimination in nontraditional jobs
- Op-Ed in the New York Daily News by ABB Community Advocate Armanda Legros: Protect pregnant workers, finally
ABB Reports
- Report: Centering the Experiences of Black Mamas in the Workplace: How The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act Can Support Black Maternal Health (2022)
- Report: From Statehouses to Congress – Paving the Way for the Federal Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (February 2022)
- Report: Long Overdue: It Is Time for the Federal Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (May 2019)
- Report: Long Overdue: June 2021 Update
- 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
Congressional Testimony
- Oral Testimony in Support of Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and PUMP Act at “Fighting for Fairness” Congressional Hearing, by ABB Co-President Dina Bakst (2021)
- Written Testimony in Support of Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and PUMP Act for “Fighting for Fairness” Congressional Hearing, by ABB Co-President Dina Bakst (2021)
- Oral Testimony in Support of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act for “Long Over Due” Congressional Hearing, by ABB Co-President Dina Bakst (2019)
- Written Testimony in Support of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act for “Long Over Due” Congressional Hearing, by ABB Co-President Dina Bakst (2019)
- Armanda Legros Testimony Before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (written) (2014)
Organizational Letters of Support
For a full list of letters from the advocacy community, see here.
Letters of Support during the 117th Congress (2021 – 2022)
- Letter of Support for the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (2021)
- Business Coalition Letter to the House of Representatives in Support of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (2021)
- Letter From the Consortium of Citizens with Disabilities in Support of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (2021)
- Letter from Maternal Health Equity Organizations in Support of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (2021)
- Letter from Faith Groups in Support of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (2021)
- Letter Urging a Vote on the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act for Mother’s Day (2021)
- A Better Balance Pregnant Workers Fairness Act House Vote Recommendation (2021)
Letters of Support during the 116th Congress (2019 – 2020):
- 200+ Organizations Support the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (2020)
- Letter of support from Black Mamas Matter Alliance & organizations dedicated to supporting Black maternal health and ending racial injustice
- Letter of support from the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities Rights Task Force
- Letter of support from maternal health providers
- Letter of support from religious and faith-based organizations
Op-Eds
- Op-Ed (N.Y. Times): Pregnant, and Pushed Out of a Job (by Dina Bakst)
- 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
Take Action
Business Support
- U.S. Chamber of Commerce Supports the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act
- Society for Human Resources Management Supports the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act
- 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
