AT&T faces pregnancy discrimination suit
The company says it's reviewing the complaint.
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AT&T says it's reviewing a lawsuit that alleges the company unfairly discriminated against pregnant women.
AT&T's attendance policies may have unfairly discriminated against pregnant women, according to a lawsuit filed by two former employees.
Katia Hills and Cynthia Allen, who previously worked at AT&T Mobility, cited the business' "no fault" attendance policy, which assigns point-based demerits for late arrivals, early departures or absences. The lawsuit, which was announced by the American Civil Liberties Union, claims both women were fired for missing work due to pregnancy-related medical care. In one of the cases, one of the women had to miss work because of her infant son's emergency medical care.
The lawsuit comes amid a broader ongoing national discussion over the right amount of leave parents should get for newborn children, and a recognition of the importance of parents spending more time at home in the early stages of childhood.
AT&T's policy exempts a number of absences from the point system -- ranging from jury duty to short-term disability -- but doesn't mention pregnancy, ACLU said.
The ACLU said the women filed the suit on behalf of non-management employees of the company's corporate retail stores.
"Workers aren't machines. They're human beings," said Gillian Thomas, senior staff attorney at the ACLU Women's Rights Project and co-lead counsel for the plaintiffs. "AT&T Mobility's policy needs to change to recognize that reality and comply with the legal obligations that come with it."
AT&T said it's reviewing the complaint.
"We do not tolerate discrimination of any kind, including for an employee's gender or pregnancy," the company said in an e-mailed statement.