Lawsuit: Amazon denied pregnant workers breaks
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The gist
Four former Amazon warehouse workers sued, alleging pregnant staff were denied chairs and breaks.
The case seeks nationwide class status and tests how warehouse attendance rules treat pregnancy.
Background
The proposed class action was filed Tuesday in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, by four former Amazon warehouse employees, on behalf of pregnant Amazon warehouse workers nationwide. It alleges Amazon denied or delayed basic accommodations — chairs, bathroom and water breaks, lifting restrictions, and time off for prenatal appointments — and then penalized or fired workers once pregnancy-related absences drained their unpaid time off. The suit invokes the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and New York labor laws, and seeks lost pay and benefits, punitive damages, and an injunction. Amazon says the lawsuit contains inaccuracies and denies violating federal pregnancy-accommodation law.
How it unfolded
- Jun 22, 2025Plaintiff Willamina Barclay was reportedly fired after her unpaid time off balance fell below zero, following a pregnancy-related medical emergency, according to the complaint.
- Sep 8, 2026Four former warehouse workers file a proposed nationwide class action in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, alleging systematic discrimination against pregnant workers.
- Sep 8, 2026Amazon responds that the lawsuit contains inaccuracies and denies violating federal pregnancy-accommodation law, saying it looks forward to a timely resolution.
- Sep 10, 2026Amazon's Nantel says the company approved "more than 99.9% of pregnancy-related accommodations" in the previous year and that accounts shared by A Better Balance contain inaccuracies.
Who’s saying what
- Plaintiffs
- The complaint alleges Amazon "violates the law at every turn," denying or delaying seating, bathroom and water breaks, lifting limits and prenatal appointment time, then penalizing or firing workers whose unpaid time off ran out.
- Amazon
- Amazon says the lawsuit contains inaccuracies and omits important details, denies violating federal pregnancy-accommodation law, and says it approved more than 99.9% of pregnancy-related accommodations in the prior year.
- Analysts
- One outlet notes the 99.9% approval figure answers a narrower question than it appears to, and that if the class is certified the case could set expectations for warehouse operations that run on the same attendance mathematics.
Still unverified
None of the allegations has been tested in court, and Amazon has not been found to have done anything wrong. Amazon disputes the accounts shared by A Better Balance as containing inaccuracies and omissions; the complaint refers to thousands of pregnant employees but does not specify the proposed class size.