August 13, 2024
U.S. Customs and Border Protection will pay $45 million to wrap up a class action brought on behalf of 1,000 workers who said the agency forced them onto light duty because they became pregnant, the workers’ attorneys said Tuesday.
The group of workers said they struck the “historic” deal to resolve an administrative case at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The case alleged CBP violated the Pregnancy Discrimination Act by placing officers and agriculture specialists who became pregnant on light duty without giving them a chance to keep their positions.
A copy of the agreement was not immediately made available Tuesday.
“This settlement will provide significant relief to victims of this unlawful practice and, with the CBP’s adoption of reforms negotiated in this settlement, CBP should become a leader among law enforcement agencies in providing equal opportunities for pregnant employees to thrive,” Joseph Sellers, an attorney with Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC who is representing the workers, said in a news release.
. . .
The workers are represented by Joseph M. Sellers, Phoebe Wolfe, Harini Srinivasan and Megan Reif of Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC and by Gary Gilbert, Shannon Leary, Cori Cohen and Rachel Petro of Gilbert Employment Law.