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Ordinance Supplementing the Pittsburgh City Code, Title One: Administrative; Article VII: Procedure; Chapter 161: Contracts, by adding Section 161.44 Reasonable Accommodations Due To Pregnancy, Childbirth or Related Medical Conditions.
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WHEREAS, more than 35 years after the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) made it illegal to discriminate against a woman because of her pregnancy, women still face discrimination on the job when they become pregnant, especially in physically-demanding jobs; and,
WHEREAS, pregnant women in Pennsylvania and across the nation have been fired for requesting or denied reasonable accommodations-for example: a supermarket cashier in central PA recently lost her job late in pregnancy because she was carrying a water bottle at her cash register on doctor's orders, and a pregnant security guard in downtown Pittsburgh was denied the reasonable accommodation of sitting down for part of her shift; and,
WHEREAS, Pennsylvania's Women's Law Project has provided legal advice or representation to roughly two dozen women with pregnancy accommodation complaints in the past couple of years, including at least one from the Pittsburgh area; and,
WHEREAS, the City recognizes that both the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Pregnancy Discrimination Act have helped to make the workplace fairer for pregnant employees, yet neither goes far enough; passing reasonable accommodations legislation will provide a real solution to pregnant workers currently being asked to choose between their health and their livelihood; and,
WHEREAS, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently clarified that discriminatory treatment of pregnant workers is unacceptable, but it is important to codify this guidance through the City's own personnel policies and contractual agreements.
WHEREAS, providing reasonable accommodations to City employees and those companies contracting with the City will benefit both the workforce and the City;...
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