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Pregnant then Screwed, American Style

Pregnant then Screwed, American Style

By Jack Tuckner

Women face numerous sex-based challenges unique to working while female; especially when pregnant. This podcast will explore the many facets of this relentless form of sex discrimination and offer empowering guidance and tips for protecting yourself, your job and your income at a time in your life when you can't afford to get fired or quit.
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We're back in the saddle weekly on Friday's at 9 am!

Pregnant then Screwed, American StyleFeb 20, 2024

00:00
29:60
We're back in the saddle weekly on Friday's at 9 am!

We're back in the saddle weekly on Friday's at 9 am!

Deborah O'Rell and I (and guests in the women's rights and health space) will be recording this podcast again on Fridays at 9 am.


We'll be chatting and riffing about women's workplace rights in terms of pregnancy protections, what to do about your perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms if they're interfering with your performance, how to advocate to be paid what your worth, and what to do when you're being sexualized at work.

Feb 20, 202429:60
Are they messing with you at work just because you’re pregnant?

Are they messing with you at work just because you’re pregnant?

Let me tell you a story about a current pregnant client who’s enduring wild discriminatory hostility just because she’s with child. I discuss what her (and your) rights are under the pregnancy protective federal and state statutes.
Oct 17, 202209:35
Repetition is the Mother of Skill. So it Bears Repeating! If You're an EXPECTANT MOTHER, You are Entitled TO FLEXIBILITY AND WORKPLACE ACCOMMODATIONS!

Repetition is the Mother of Skill. So it Bears Repeating! If You're an EXPECTANT MOTHER, You are Entitled TO FLEXIBILITY AND WORKPLACE ACCOMMODATIONS!

Under federal and most state and city anti-discrimination laws, almost ALL employers are required to show compassion and flexibility* to its pregnant employees during their pregnancies, after their babies are born, and even after they return to work and require accommodations for lactation and breast feeding purposes.

Any differential or hostile workplace treatment because of pregnancy is illegal sex, gender, and pregnancy discrimination and often disability discrimination, too.

Document in writing any requests for flexibility and pregnancy-related accommodations, as well as complaints about discriminatory treatment you're experiencing due to your pregnancy, related medical conditions, and your need for OB/Gyn appointments and testing, and requests for temporary light duty.

Step up and fight for your right to be equal! And don't quit  your job due to discrimination, as that's like throwing out the baby with the bath water! 🙄🤓

Put the company on notice about your requests and complaints, and let them investigate and do the right thing to hook you up, as they're required to do.

If your company treats you worse, or refuses to implement a reasonable request for flexibility of your pregnancy, then you can chat with an employment lawyer.

*Compassion and flexibility is better known in legal parlance as reasonable accommodations of the natural limitations of pregnancy, or its related medical issues.

Oct 03, 202216:49
Failure to Promote At Work Due To Pregnancy Discrimination--Is It Happening To You and What You Can and Should Do to Hold Your Employer Accountable

Failure to Promote At Work Due To Pregnancy Discrimination--Is It Happening To You and What You Can and Should Do to Hold Your Employer Accountable

If you're treated differently in the workplace because of pregnancy throughout your gestational cycle, including through maternity leave and your return to work, it's illegal sex, gender, pregnancy and often disability discrimination. This sex-based differential treatment includes failure to promote because of pregnancy.

Oct 02, 202201:56
Lactation, Breastfeeding and Expressing Breast Milk in the Workplace.

Lactation, Breastfeeding and Expressing Breast Milk in the Workplace.

YES!  You ARE entitled to breastfeed your baby and/or pump breast milk in the workplace postpartum, for one year after childbirth under federal law and for three years after childbirth under New York and Connecticut laws, and ALL 50 states have their own laws on breastfeeding and expressing milk at work. 

Listen to a brief summary of your lactation rights presented by Jack Bryant Tuckner, Esq., Women's Rights in the Workplace lawyer based in New York.

Find your particular state law on postpartum breastfeeding and milk pumping at work at this link. 

Jack Tuckner can be reached for questions at @jacktuckner on Twitter and Jack Tuckner on LinkedIn and Facebook. Email jtuckner@womensrightsny.com


Oct 01, 202208:17
Yes, you are entitled to maternity leave.

Yes, you are entitled to maternity leave.

There are a mix of confusing federal and state laws governing maternity leave, but the bottom line? YOU ARE ENTITLED TO MATERNITY LEAVE.
Sep 28, 202212:37
Pregnancy discrimination. Don’t take it lying down. Stand up for yourself.

Pregnancy discrimination. Don’t take it lying down. Stand up for yourself.

Pregnancy discrimination cases are on the rise again, in part because federal, state, and city laws have expanded pregnant employees’ workplace rights. Learn what to do initially to ensure the greatest protection against unlawful and sexist pregnancy discrimination. (spoiler alert, it involves written notification to your company)!
Sep 23, 202217:43
Attorneys’ Fees in Pregnancy Discrimination Cases--Contingency vs Hourly--and What Will It Cost Me?

Attorneys’ Fees in Pregnancy Discrimination Cases--Contingency vs Hourly--and What Will It Cost Me?

Most employee rights pregnancy discrimination attorneys will take your case on a contingent-fee basis, meaning that they’ll only get paid if and when the case resolves. Join Jack and Deborah and learn what to look for when hiring a lawyer for your pregnancy discrimination claim.

Apr 15, 202042:57
Am I entitled to employer flexibility for my pregnancy-related anxiety during this pandemic?

Am I entitled to employer flexibility for my pregnancy-related anxiety during this pandemic?

I’m pregnant, due in May and incredibly anxious about giving birth in a NYC hospital during this coronavirus crisis.

I’m having a hard time concentrating at work and my boss is harassing me. Do I have any recourse?

Apr 01, 202028:22
Coronavirus update: Can my employer make me take early maternity leave, or fire me for my pregnancy?

Coronavirus update: Can my employer make me take early maternity leave, or fire me for my pregnancy?

Coronavirus and pregnant employees: Workplaces are imploding, employees are being laid off, and pregnant women have been told to take an early maternity leave, for their own safety, and they have been fired due to their pregnancies, as they’re perceived as more vulnerable—either way, it’s illegal. You can’t be fired because of anything to do with your pregnancy, and your employer cannot force an early maternity leave. That decision is yours alone. Pregnancy discrimination is illegal. Even during a pandemic.
Mar 20, 202019:24
Your company must flexibly accommodate you during pregnancy.

Your company must flexibly accommodate you during pregnancy.

Even 42 years after the enactment of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, companies still mess with women’s lives and careers during pregnancy and after childbirth because employers resent women for “choosing” to bear a child, as the known limitations of pregnancy and maternity leave aren’t profitable to your company. KNOW YOUR RIGHTS!—as your company won’t otherwise protect you—they likely don’t even know what their obligations are. You are entitled to job flexibility and work modifications, and a work environment free from sex and pregnancy-based hostility. Document your pregnancy in writing before you’re “showing,” and put all complaints about poor pregnancy treatment in writing, too. This way you’ll have proof of your pregnancy notification and prior complaints in case your company doubles down on the hostility. It’s all about the pregnancy paper trail. Please leave us a voice message with pregnancy-related questions and we’ll answer it right here on our Anchor podcast. We hope you find this empowering information helpful. Jack & Deborah
Feb 26, 202018:16
Should I file my pregnancy discrimination case in federal or state court?

Should I file my pregnancy discrimination case in federal or state court?


Before fling your complaint in federal or state court—or with a federal administrative agency (EEOC)—or state workplace discrimination agency, make sure you’ve documented your pregnancy claims to your employer, and that you know what your goals are, as each filing choice will have consequences and may limit your negotiating flexibility. Note: I was not mindful of the 60 minute podcast limited so it cuts off at the end. Please let me know your questions here (or tweet me @jacktuckner) and I’ll answer each on this podcast (and will do my best to be succinct):).
Feb 10, 202059:59
Pregnancy discrimination, still illegal.

Pregnancy discrimination, still illegal.

Questions about your workplace rights while pregnant? Listen to women’s rights attorney Jack Tuckner riff on pregnancy-based workplace concerns and learn how to protect yourself.
Feb 05, 202039:17
Are you experiencing illegal pregnancy discrimination at work?

Are you experiencing illegal pregnancy discrimination at work?

Pregnancy discrimination cases are on the rise partly because the laws protecting working women from this common form of sex discrimination have never been stronger.
Learn the basics and how to protect yourself. 

Dec 28, 201935:53