Dive Brief:
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The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Monday clarified and strengthened its rules regarding pregnant and breastfeeding employees, the first such update regarding pregnancy in three decades. The number of controversies and court cases regarding pregnancy and lactation on the job has increased; one such case is now before the Supreme Court.
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The EEOC now says that pregnancy must be treated as a disability, requiring accommodations at work, like lifting lighter loads, and barring an employer from forcing a worker to take leave. Breastfeeding should be treated as a medical condition, and employees should be allowed to express milk while at work.
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Meanwhile, Democrats in the House of Representatives are planning bills that would help part-time workers. One would require extra pay to workers who are summoned to work with little notice or whose work is canceled at the last minute without proper notice. Another would bar employers from denying reasonable schedule changes for children’s school events or similar matters.
Dive Insight:
These policies would affect many retailers, which tend to use policies like highly elastic work schedules for maximum efficiencies. The EEOC’s move on Monday certainly gave clarity to policies that were vexing both employees and employers, but much still depends on what happens in the Supreme Court.
While the two bills being developed by House Democrats have little chance of going very far, they do help spotlight the fact that part-time workers in retail, restaurants, and other businesses face problems beyond the current minimum wage debate.
