Judge Rules Amazon Must Cooperate in US Pregnancy Bias Probe

Photo : AP

Amazon is facing scrutiny after a New York federal judge ordered the company to comply with a subpoena from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), investigating allegations of pregnancy discrimination against warehouse workers. Despite Amazon's denial of wrongdoing and assertion of its commitment to supporting employees, the company acknowledged shortcomings in responding to the New York complaint.

U.S. District Judge Lorna Schofield in Manhattan dismissed Amazon's objections that the EEOC's subpoena was overly broad and irrelevant. The EEOC seeks data on requests made by pregnant workers at five U.S. warehouses for accommodations such as reduced lifting duties and additional breaks, and how Amazon handled these requests.

The investigation was prompted by complaints from five women who reported facing pregnancy discrimination while working at Amazon facilities in New Jersey, Connecticut, North Carolina, and California. While Amazon provided over 200,000 pages of data in response to the subpoena, specific information requested by the EEOC was not included, as noted in court filings.

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Judge Schofield emphasized that the requested information was crucial for the EEOC to determine whether Amazon engaged in unlawful discrimination. She mandated that Amazon comply with the subpoena by August 9.

Amazon, at the time of the ruling, did not offer immediate comment on the judge's decision. Similarly, an EEOC spokesperson declined to provide further details.

This investigation follows a 2022 administrative complaint filed by a New York state agency, accusing Amazon of forcing pregnant and disabled warehouse workers to take unpaid leaves instead of offering reasonable accommodations. That case remains pending.

The EEOC initiated its probe last year and issued subpoenas seeking various categories of information, including details on accommodations provided to warehouse workers with disabilities. Initially, federal law mandated that accommodations for pregnant workers be equivalent to those provided to employees with disabilities. However, subsequent legislation passed later that year requires employers to accommodate pregnancy regardless of how they handle disabilities among their workforce.