Tag archive for ‘Pregnancy Discrimination Act’
Fired For Giving Life?
Fired for giving life?
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Thirty-one year old Amy Zvovushe got her dream job. She left a dead in job for the position she dreamed of and worked her butt off to get – a senior program manager. Every area in her life seemed to be aligning up right. This included her personal life as well. Four months after starting at this new job Amy found out that she was pregnant. What should have been a joyous time became a discriminating nightmare. Amy was ordered to resign due to giving life. Yes, you read right the company ordered Amy Zvovushe to resign from her perfect position.
Not because she did not perform as expected, not because she did not bring clients to the organization but simply because she was giving life. When she met with HR they told her that she did not qualify for FMLA and that when she has the baby she can’t get maternity leave. Meaning if Amy delivers on a Friday that following Monday she better be at her office; if not the company says that is voluntary quitting on her part.
Little did they know Amy was recording the whole conversation. On top of that they probably assumed she would curl up and not fight back or accept the situation for what it was. Amy shocked them when she hired a lawyer. Fortunately for Amy (and her lawyer) she was able to get her dream job back. A lot of women are not so lucky. Many do not have the privilege to get the right kind of representation to fight for their job back or at least get compensated. No telling how many pregnant women have dealt with this situation.
Women have come a LONG way from the days of the feminist era. Feminism still exist however women are not as diligent as the women were back then. Being that it is 2012 there is obviously issues we still need to be addressing. As of 2010 only 7 states (California, Connecticut, Illinois, Minnesota, New Hampshire and Michigan) have passed laws that protects pregnant women working in private sector jobs. What about the ladies that do not have the resources to fight back? Keeping up with your rights is important so if this does happen to you, you can act accordingly.
- Family Leave Act allows pregnant women to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to raise their bundle of joy. Catch? The company must have over 50 employees working for them in order to implement the act.
- Pregnancy Discrimination Act came about in 1964 and it prohibits employers from refusing employment to pregnant women. Catch? Employers can just find another reason why they will not hire the woman so the company can save face. This act also makes employers treat pregnancy like other temporary disabilities when it comes to pay increases.
A woman’s employer has to cover pregnancy related expenses too or otherwise there can be a lawsuit against the company. I’m a firm believer in learning as much as I can. I am not saying to memorize every law on deck but I do feel as a woman you need to know your rights. In the words of Maya Angelou, “If you know better, you do better”.
Peace and luv!
Related articles
- Pregnant? Please Leave, Conn. Woman’s Employer Said (abcnews.go.com)
- Pregnant And Fired (huffingtonpost.com)
Tagged as Amy Zvovushe, career, discrimination, Family Leave Act, feminist, HR, laws, lawyer, Pregnancy Discrimination Act, pregnant, resign, states, women, work performance
Categorized as UIM Blog Topics, Empowerment Issues & Politics
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