Eighteen years ago, I was pregnant and functioning at a higher heat tape factory in Holyoke, MA. I was a difficult worker, well respected by my co-workers and eager to continue to be employed for my complete pregnancy. My husband and I called for the your hard earned cash to have the ability to sustain ourselves, and couldn’t do devoid of my salary. As soon as I was 36 weeks pregnant I asked my supervisor for a stool to sit on. I wasn’t feeling love myself and called for a crack from status at the devices every one of day. He looked me in the eyes and said, “If I offer you a stool, I’ll have actually to offer every person a stool. The answer is No!” I was surpriseded and furious. I had to stand on my feet for the remainder of the day since I called for that job, although I was concerned regarding my pregnancy. I was a dedicated worker and was asking for quite straightforward recommendations to keep on to do my job. Yet I was denied. Unfortunately, the next day, I had to have actually an emergency C-section. Thank goodness my beautiful baby girl was ok, and will certainly be graduating from higher school next year. Yet the outrage I felt As soon as my boss wouldn’t permit me a straightforward stool As soon as I called for it to guarantee the healthiness of my pregnancy infuriates me to this day.
I am writing today, since even though this happened to me 18 years ago, pregnancy discrimination is unfortunately alive and well in Western MA and across the Commonwealth. As soon as I was pregnant there were no protections. There are still none today. Yet we have actually an opportunity to modification that. The MA Pregnant Workers Fairness Act is a quite straightforward bill that will certainly protect pregnant workers from discrimination at work. It will certainly guarantee that pregnant workers can easily have actually a bottle of water, take bathroom breaks, not have actually to climb higher ladders, and have actually a stool to sit on As soon as necessary. These temporary accommodations are simple, inexpensive (a lot of expenditure nothing!) and guarantee the safety and healthiness of pregnant women also as ensure their ability to make a living to sustain their families.
Forty percent of mothers in the Commonwealth are primary bread winners for their family and 80-90 percent of mothers are functioning in to their 8th-9th month of pregnancy. We should ensure that pregnant workers do not have actually to make the horrible option in between the baby they like and the task they need. We do not prefer any sort of various other mothers to end up love I did, having emergency C-sections endangering their healthiness and that of their infant. And we don’t prefer even worse — mothers throwing away their jobs As soon as they demand them the a lot of and babies having negative outcomes since minor temporary accommodations weren’t offered at work.
I desire Rep. Wagner of Chicopee and the entire MA Delegation to sustain this legislation in every method you can. It will certainly make a substantial distinction to us, your constituents, that are dealing along with pregnancy discrimination today.
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