Amazon sued for alleged pregnancy discrimination

Four women formerly employed with Amazon filed a joint class action lawsuit against the company, with the support of workers rights nonprofit A Better Balance, over allegations that the company discriminated against them while they were pregnant, in violation of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA).

The women claimed Amazon engaged in systemic discrimination, and denied pregnant workers reasonable accommodations like chairs, lighter workloads, adequate breaks, and time off for prenatal appointments, Reuters reported. According to the complaint, Amazon allegedly fired all employees “pursuant to its punitive policies,” i.e., based on Amazon’s time-off policies which, according to the complaint, “impose disciplinary penalties for legally protected absences and breaks.”

“Amazon ignores the law, forcing pregnant employees to continue working without modifications, at great risk to their health,” according to the lawsuit.

The plaintiffs also alleged that they were disciplined for taking time off for doctor appointments, and that the company requested medical documentation for even small accommodations, like bathroom breaks (documentation the EEOC has deemed unnecessary). One worker alleged she was fired just five days after being hospitalized with a pregnancy-related emergency.

The PWFA went into effect in 2023, and is modeled after the Americans with Disabilities Act, HR Brew reported previously. It requires organizations with 15 or more workers to provide pregnant workers with reasonable accommodations and forbids employers from retaliation.

The suit is requesting for back pay and benefits, punitive compensation, and for Amazon to overhaul its processes for pregnant employees.

Amazon disputes the claims and believes some of the allegations “contain inaccuracies and omit important details,” Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel told the Wall Street Journal.

“Ensuring the health and well-being of our employees is one of our greatest responsibilities, and we strive to provide a safe and supportive environment for everyone, which includes supporting tens of thousands of employees with pregnancy accommodations each year,” Nantel said in a statement, adding that the company approved 99.9% of pregnancy accommodations over the last year.

Amazon has faced numerous pregnancy discrimination suits in recent years. New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin sued Amazon in 2025, and claimed the company “has exploited pregnant workers” and violated their rights. In 2022, the New York State Division of Human Rights filed a complaint that alleged Amazon was denying reasonable accommodations to disabled and pregnant workers. The company also tried to fight an EEOC probe into the company over claims in 2021 that the company had discriminated against five pregnant women, according to Reuters.

“This (Amazon) case is not an isolated corporate labor dispute,” Inimai Chettiar, president at A Better Balance, told USA Today. “It actually sits inside a larger pattern of policy and rhetoric aimed at narrowing women’s roles and pushing them out of the workforce and back into a domestic role.”