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.
Despite California’s decades-old laws requiring employers to provide reasonable accommodations to pregnant and lactating workers, women dockworkers have been flatly denied their rights and effectively penalized for starting families– as stated in the ACLU’s lawsuit against the discriminatory policies. Our amicus brief in support of the dockworkers argues that California’s pregnancy and lactation accommodation laws are essential public health measures and crucial tools for ensuring women can access high-paying jobs in traditionally male-dominated trades. Meanwhile, current policies at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach force pregnant workers to risk dangerous work or lose their pay for the day and deny lactating workers time and space to pump.
“The employers in this case have outright refused to comply with a 25-year-old law designed to secure equal opportunity for women. We support this class action empowering women workers to collectively fight for these critical rights.” -Liz Morris, Co-Director of the Center for WorkLife Law
As the Center for WorkLife Law continues to fight discrimination against women, pregnant people, and family caregivers, class actions such as this case are critical in addressing systemic workers’ rights violations. WorkLife Law is committed to advancing the law to ensure protections for future generations of caregivers.
For more information about our brief, find our joint press release here.