On January 9, a federal district judge in Kentucky vacated the 2024 Title IX Rule for the entire country. “This shameful decision puts pregnant and postpartum students, and millions of others, in harm’s way,” said Jessica Lee, Co-Director of the Center for WorkLife Law and co-founder of the Center’s Pregnant Scholar Initiative. “Without the protections offered by the 2024 Title IX regulations, pregnant students will struggle to get the accommodations and leave they need to stay healthy and continue their education.”

Comprehensive new guidance for protecting pregnant, postpartum, and lactating employees has been issued by the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General and Division on Civil Rights–creating an important model for state agencies nationwide. WorkLife Law is honored to have contributed to this guidance, providing feedback on early drafts and sharing insights gained from our decades of experience helping pregnant and postpartum workers secure their rights.

If you’re like us, last night’s election results have you reeling–and perhaps plotting how you’ll navigate the challenges the new administration will bring. You may be feeling angry, sad, or even hopeless. We’re with you. But we are not giving up on our fight for equity and justice.

The Center for WorkLife Law firmly stands behind dockworkers fighting discriminatory policies in the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. WorkLife Law has joined Legal Aid at Work, A Better Balance, and Equal Rights Advocates in filing an amicus brief supporting dockworkers’s demand for their right to pregnancy and lactation accommodations. 

The Center for WorkLife Law is honored to have our free legal helpline, and Co-Director Jessica Lee, spotlighted in a new book by Brigid Schulte, award-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author. “Over Work: Transforming the Daily Grind in the Quest for a Better Life,” explores why America’s way of work isn’t working and offers solutions to make it better. We’re thrilled that Co-Director Lee is featured so prominently as a changemaker in shifting the American workplace to be more humane.

The Center for WorkLife Law is pleased to welcome Jessica Dimas as our new Reproductive Justice for Farmworkers Legal Fellow. Jessica is joining our team to advance the rights of pregnant and lactating farmworkers in California thanks to our newly awarded Agricultural Community-Based Projects grant from the Pesticide Educational Resources Collaborative (PERC).

For the first time in nearly 40 years, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has used its emergency suspension authority to stop the use of the pesticide Dacthal – a toxin that has been endangering pregnant farmworkers and their babies. This is one of many important steps needed for the law to finally acknowledge the dire risks farmworkers unnecessarily face, especially when they are pregnant.

Last week, Illinois Governor Pritzker signed House Bill 2161, groundbreaking legislation securing anti-discrimination protections for workers with caregiving responsibilities. For Illinois’ 1.5 million family caregivers, this bill will ensure employment decisions are made based on their job performance, instead of bias. Illinois is the sixth state to prohibit family responsibilities discrimination, but the state’s new protections are now the nation’s strongest, protecting a wide range of family relationships and caregiving activities. The legislation is based on a model developed by The Center for WorkLife Law.

By a 5-4 vote Friday, the Supreme Court rejected the Biden administration’s request to limit the scope of preliminary injunctions blocking the enactment of its Title IX rule. As a result, preliminary injunctions will continue to bar the Department of Education from enforcing the Title IX rule in 26 states and hundreds of educational institutions. The Title IX regulations were originally slated to go into effect August 1st, providing strong protection for pregnant and postpartum students and safeguarding students nationwide from discrimination on the basis of sex.

The Center for WorkLife Law is thrilled to announce that our team has been awarded a $150,000, one-year Agricultural Community-Based Projects (AgCBP) grant from the Pesticide Educational Resources Collaborative (PERC). WorkLife Law’s initiative, Dar a Luz: Legal Rights for Farmworkers in Pregnancy and Postpartum,  a partnership with Central Coast United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE), breaks down barriers faced by California farmworkers during pregnancy and postpartum.