Alex Berke Quoted in New York Times Article on the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act

Officials at Princeton University have agreed to settle a case regarding pay inequities for 106 full current and former female professors as part of the conclusion of a nearly decade long federal investigation into pay disparities at the university.

More than 865,000 women “left” the labor market in September 2020, demonstrating that the COVID pandemic is forcing women out of work. One in four women who are still in the workforce are considering downshifting their careers, or leaving the workforce entirely, due to the pressures of work and family care.Employers who are concerned about retaining their employees who are parents, especially mothers, can take some steps to ensure that parents are not forced to “choose” their families over their careers.

According to Peeples v. Clinical Support Options, Inc., No. 3:20-CV-30144-KAR, 2020 WL 5542719 (D. Mass. Sept. 16, 2020), providing the plaintiff with a mask was insufficient accommodation, holding “a majority of these so-called accommodations are workplace safety rules rather than an individualized accommodation to address Plaintiff’s disability.”