I have a question. How is a woman getting pregnant relevant to how well she can perform a job? My dad works as an engineer in a major company and he has a male friend who works there and that we think of as a family friend of course. We know him well and he has been married to his second wife for a year or two. They are in their mid twenties to early thirties. The friends' wife worked at some major company. I have only met her a few times but now I can't remember what she does for a living. I think she had been at her job for about five to ten years or so. All of a sudden she gets pregnant and they fire her. Well, I asked my dad did they give her a reason for firing her like being late or bad job performance and he says no, they let her go for being pregnant. I think she works at an administrative type job. It has been a couple of months or so since they did so. Personally, I think she should sue them.
2006-10-24 16:30:42 · 17 answers · asked by ? 2 in Business & Finance ➔ Careers & Employment
sue them
2006-10-24 16:32:35 · answer #1 · answered by dogfaceboy626 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Well, they technically probably did not do that. It was probably "known" but as far as the dismissal papers, it definately would not say "because of being pregnant' on the pink slip. That is illegal. They have to give you FMLA. (12 weeks leave) and they have to have your original job available for at least that long, with no changes in pay or rank. If they do change anything, then you can quit freely and get unemployment. If they did fire her for being pregnant, that is illegal and she can sue. But most likely they didn't, as far as the paperwork is concerned, they probably made up some excuse. It is very easy to do that if a company does not want you there for whatever reason.
2006-10-24 16:51:43 · answer #2 · answered by AveGirl 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If she worked at a major company, they would not blatantly fire her for being pregnant, because their corporate attorneys and labor-law experts would warn them of the major lawsuits they would face (and lose) for doing so.
Even if she were in a hazardous position, the law would require them to move her to an equivalent, non-hazardous position for the duration of her pregnancy.
My guess is that something else was actually going on, and you simply do not have all the information. Quite possibly because she is resentful towards her former employer, and so simply answered, "Because I'm pregnant" when asked.
After all, your information (which came from your dad, who had to get it from someone -- either his friend or his wife) is a little removed from the source. Any one of the people in that information-chain could have edited it.
2006-10-24 16:43:55 · answer #3 · answered by Katherine Blackthorne 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Laws may vary a bit from state to state. Number of employees within a specified radius also play a part.
If she thinks she was discriminated against, she should see an attorney. If she was terminated for some other reason and coincidentally was pregnant, that's something else.
Most large companies will know the law before they take any kind of action but it may be worth her investigating with the help of someone who can navigate the laws of the state she's in.
2006-10-24 16:36:23 · answer #4 · answered by princessmeltdown 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Probably contradicting what most people are saying-- Some states have laws that protect the companies rather than the staff, even though the law is aimed for both.
Basically it says that a person can quit a job with no repercussions, as well as the company let someone go for ANY-or-NO reason.
I know Nebraska is one of those states.
2006-10-24 16:41:14 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ever hear of Fair Labor Standards Act?
Start by Labor Board complaint, after filing unemployment , then sue for wrongful termination, and discrimination based on medical condition.
Get a real good attorney. Have lots of patience. Be prepared for lengthy litigation period.
It will pay off if the facts are straight, and the case is legit.
2006-10-24 16:42:54 · answer #6 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Under most circumstances, when we find out we are pregnant, the initial urge is to shout our news from the nearest rooftop. However, even when this is a blessed event, we are often well-advised to keep our news out of the office, initially. According to "How to Protect Yourself Against Pregnancy Discrimination" (Susan Freinkel, "How to Protect Yourself Against Pregnancy Discrimination," Babytalk, April 1998, 75-76), many women are fired or passed over for a promotion after they announce their pregnancy. The Equal Opportunities Employment Commission, the agency to whom complaints of pregnancy discrimination should be reported, received 3,997 complaints about this issue in 1997. That was a 30% increase since 1991. The Pregnancy Discrimination Act, which was passed in 1978, prohibits discrimination based on pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. However, there is evidence that a pregnant employee must produce to win a pregnancy discrimination case. In 1996, a U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision in Chicago gave employers some protection in dealing with pregnant employees. In this case, a woman was fired for tardiness after morning sickness kept her from reporting to work on time. She brought charges of pregnancy discrimination against her employer. She was not able to show that she was being treated differently than other employees in similar circumstances and lost the case.
2006-10-24 16:40:23 · answer #7 · answered by cr3ater 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Firing her for being pregnant is defintiely illegal. They probably put something else on paper to cover their asses however, so if she sues she would have to disprove their claim. I've known a couple of people who got fired for dumb things they did, and they did not always tell their friends what happened, just because it's embarrassing. Could be she just doesn't really want to talk about what happened.
2006-10-24 16:38:15 · answer #8 · answered by strgoddss 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
It against the law to fire someone for getting pregnant, if that is in fact why she was let go and she can prove it...she has a case and should sue them.
2006-10-24 16:33:49 · answer #9 · answered by Loli M 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
yeah she should look in to that because that should not happen but of course you know if she does try to sue they will have other reasons though so she should find a way to get it in a letter or something as to why they fired her before it goes that far so she can have proof
2006-10-24 16:38:13 · answer #10 · answered by ELIZY 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Because pregnant women are a drain on company resources, and then they want to skip a bunch of days to take care of their kids. Women don't belong in the workforce anyway. They need to be home taking care of the kids....thats why we have so many wacko people today, because they entrust the care of their kids to a day care agency.
2006-10-24 16:38:58 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋