We talk about pregnancy discrimination, but it’s easier to grasp when you have a real-life example to examine. Unfortunately, we have many to choose from.
One such example is from here is California, and it’s been making a lot of headlines. Lynda Resnick, of the Wonderful Company, has long been outspoken about making the workplace more family friendly, and closing the gender pay gap. Resnick was herself, a young, single mom, working hard to get ahead. She’s now the owner of a global operation and a self-made billionaire. What is ironic about Resnick’s story, however, is that she’s now being accused of multiple cases of pregnancy discrimination and wrongful termination.
Punished for pregnancy
The unnamed complainant had nearly a decade of high-level success for The Wonderful Company. The complainant’s success was certainly due to her expertise and business savvy, and also because she was not pregnant. The complainant witnessed many instances where her female colleagues were penalized for becoming pregnant and, although she wasn’t pregnant, she got a taste of what it might be like during an interview for a promotion. During the interview, Resnick herself, asked the complainant if she were pregnant. It was clear to the complainant that pregnancy would not be tolerated.
Down the road, the complainant did become pregnant, and in her suit, she describes what so many women before her have experienced.
Examples of her pregnancy discrimination:
- Sudden unhappiness with the quality of work
- No direction for improving performance
- Termination on the day FMLA coverage ended
In response to the lawsuit for wrongful termination and pregnancy discrimination, the complainant and The Wonderful Company entered private arbitration. There, a supposedly impartial third-party will make an official decision based on the testimony of both parties.
