This Weekend's Message - Pregnancy Bias

Sometime ago I noted there seemed to be an employment law story each weekend that was picked up by a number of papers across the country. This weekend, in addition to the stories of Arnie's past gropings, it seems to be pregnancy discrimination. The AP story is carried in the Chicago Daily Herald as well as a number of other papers across the country. Last year charges of pregnancy discrimination filed with the EEOC increased by 10%. As might be expected, there are differing views on the reason, with some claiming increased knowledge of their rights and higher positions by women and others noting the tough economic times. While there may be disagreement on the reason, given the number of stories this weekend, it probably would not be a good week to push the envelope on a close decision involving an employee who is pregnant.