Retail clothing giant Aeropostale is facing a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit from a former employee who claims she was consistently harassed by management after informing her superiors that she was expecting a baby. Codie Nelson had been a sales associate at an Aeropostale store for only four months when she began having pregnancy symptoms. She was about nine weeks along when she experienced cramping during her shift.
Nelson told her manager what was going on and explained that she needed to go to the hospital. Throughout her pregnancy, Nelson asserts in her recently filed employment discrimination lawsuit, she was told to reconsider whether Aeropostale was the right fit for her and that perhaps a job in retail wasn’t where she would be the happiest.
Nelson also asserts that she was told that her pregnancy made her a bad fit for the retail clothing store. Her doctor had requested that she be allowed regular rest and bathroom breaks, which Nelson claims she was denied. Her hours were consistently cut throughout her pregnancy, taking her from a full-time 40-hour-per-week position down to only four. She says that she was fired just shortly after giving birth.
Aeropostale denies the pregnancy discrimination claims and says that it believes the truth will come out in through the court system. The retail clothing chain denies Nelson’s claims, counter-asserting that it accommodated her requests to at least the point that is required by law.
The stress caused by the alleged pregnancy discrimination has been immeasurable. Nelson noted that she has worked in retail for several years and was surprised by the way Aeropostale reacted to her pregnancy. She was in fear of losing her job throughout her pregnancy and has been financially burdened by the loss of income from the cut in her hours and her termination after giving birth.
Source: ClickOrlando, “Orlando woman sues Aeropostale, claims pregnancy discrimination,” February 7, 2013
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