A case of pregnancy discrimination. A San Diego AutoZone manager was told that she could not handle the responsibilities of management after becoming pregnant. Pressured to step down, she stood her ground. After having her child, she was subjected to a reduction in pay and a demotion, and was later set up to be fired. She did not take the alleged pregnancy discrimination actions sitting down. In the lawsuit that ensued against her employer, Juarez was vindicated and AutoZone learned an important lesson.
Pregnancy Discrimination, A Glass Ceiling for Women?
In her suit, she asserted that female employees are limited in their ability to be promoted. In fact, only about 10% of AutoZone stores in the San Diego area had female managers. During the trial, one man who had formerly been a district manager testified that he had been admonished for promoting too many women into management positions. He had been instructed to get rid of the women, as the company was not running a boutique. Another district manager was offered a promotion in exchange for terminating all females in the stores he managed. It would seem that in addition to pregnancy discrimination, all females’ jobs were in a precarious position.
Anti-Pregnancy Discrimination Laws
Gender bias laws have been on the books for decades. The Federal Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 specifies that pregnant women should be accommodated in their jobs, in the same manner as an individual with a disability or who had experienced an injury. Providing light duty and making other reasonable adaptations for pregnant woman is required by law.
Additionally, California law bans workplace discrimination. Contrary to federal law, the state has no cap on awards for punitive damages and emotional suffering. In the Juarez case, the decision was made to bring the case to state court, arguing that Juarez was discriminated against under California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act.California law obligates employers to do the following:
- Provide reasonable accommodations, such as allowing extra breaks, allowing employees to sit, and so forth;
- Transfer pregnant employees to a lateral position to avoid strenuous or hazardous conditions;
- Provide as much as four months of pregnancy disability leave (PDL);
- Allow employees to return to their same position following PDL;
- Provide appropriate lactation breaks following the birth of a child.
The Pregnancy Discrimination Judgment
The jury found in favor of Juarez, and the court upheld the verdict, awarding her nearly $875,000 in compensatory damages and $185 million in punitive damages. They found that AutoZone, had, indeed, discriminated, harassed, and retaliated against Juarez due to her pregnancy.
Can you Relate?
Unfortunately, there are still many companies out there that test the limits of anti-discrimination laws on a regular basis. If you find yourself working for one and need legal help to fight back, you want the experienced and aggressive Santa Rosa labor attorneys Beck Law P.C., on your side. If you work in Sonoma County, Mendocino County, or Lake County California, contact us in Santa Rosa today. The Santa Rosa law office of Beck Law P.C., is located at 2681 Cleveland Avenue, just south of the Empire College School of Law and north of Coddingtown Mall.