You may be entitled to a workplace accommodation – or a change to how, when, or where you do your job – to help ensure a healthy pregnancy. Accommodations can help you continue working and earning a paycheck.
Additionally, you may be entitled to take leave – before and after giving birth. And after returning to work, you may be entitled to take breaks during the day to pump breastmilk. You may also be entitled to workplace accommodations after returning to work to help ensure a healthy recovery from any postpartum complications.
Whether you are entitled to these protections depends on the state where you live, the size and policies of your employer, and any health conditions you have during pregnancy. Unfortunately, it is not straightforward. But the resources below can help.
Check out the resources below to learn more about your workplace rights.
Additional Resources
To learn more about the workplace protections available to pregnant women and parents in your state, visit A Better Balance’s Babygate website, a Know Your Rights project clarifying legal protections around pregnancy discrimination, breastfeeding, family leave, and more.
In California, visit Employment Law Center’s pregnancy resources.
Getting Help At Work
Are you pregnant at work? Need light duty, additional breaks, leave, or other accommodations? Have questions about your rights and responsibilities?
View Getting Help At Work to learn from the experts at WorkLife Law and A Better Balance about the state and federal laws that protect pregnant women, along with practical tips for making it easier to work while pregnant.
Getting Help From Your Union
In Solidarity: Union Support for Pregnant and Breastfeeding Workers Webinar
This webinar teaches shop stewards, labor educators, and union members what legal rights pregnant and breastfeeding workers have under federal and state law, how to use common collective bargaining agreement terms to ensure fair treatment, and tips for counseling members and handling related grievances.
The Shop Steward’s Guide to Counseling and Representing Pregnant Workers
The Shop Steward’s Guide to Counseling and Representing Pregnant Workers provides shop stewards the tools they need to effectively represent pregnant and breastfeeding workers, including practical tips for counseling workers and explanations of the laws and common contractual provisions that can be used to secure their workplace rights.
Contact the Center for WorkLife Law’s free legal hotline.
This national hotline provides information to employees about their family caregiving responsibilities, including pregnancy, maternity, and parental needs and protections. The hotline also provides the names of lawyers in your state who are willing to be contacted about such matters (if appropriate).
Email [email protected] or call (415) 703-8276.
You may also contact A Better Balance’s free legal hotline to speak with an attorney about your situation. In New York, call (212) 430-5982; in Tennessee, call (615) 915-2417.
