Looming US rule changes may curb pregnant worker supports

[BumRushDaShow]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by GP6971 (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).

Source: Reuters

January 27, 2026 8:45 PM EST Updated 11 hours ago


WASHINGTON, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Nearly three months pregnant, Kennisha just needed to sit down.

As assistant manager at a Sonic fast-food outlet on the outskirts of Dayton, Ohio, she sat on the only chair available to employees to ease her nausea, according to a complaint filed on Monday with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.

Sonic allegedly denied her request around Thanksgiving to occasionally sit on the one chair other employees used for smoke breaks. She quit and started work elsewhere, with a few months left in her pregnancy. "It does feel good to have a new job, but it's still in the back of my mind now," said Kennisha, who asked to be identified by her first name only due to fear of retaliation. Inspire Brands, Sonic's parent company, did not provide a comment.

COMMISSION CHAIR MAY NARROW RULE

The 2022 law requires employers to reasonably accommodate pregnant workers under EEOC regulations. But those rules may dramatically change under Republican EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas, who said in 2024 the regulations were written too broadly. Now, as chair since November and with a Republican majority on the commission, she has already begun a top-down makeover of the agency to reflect "a conservative view of civil rights," she told Reuters exclusively in December.

The final rules were written broadly to include as many scenarios as possible, experts and lawyers say. Any narrowing of the rules may expose pregnant workers to discrimination or deny them financial remedies in court, they said.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/business/world-at-work/looming-pregnant-worker-rule-changes-poised-curb-accommodations-2026-01-27/

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They Xtian nationalists don't want women in the workplace. They want them in the kitchen or flat on their backs ready to pop out babies (of the right race).

[Diamond_Dog]

1. They hate women, period. Even when they're pregnant!

“Even if a case merits review under stricter rules, cases like Kennisha’s could be overlooked because of Lucas’ priorities to shift the EEOC’s focus toward issues long-championed by conservatives, such as claims of discrimination against white men, said Inimai Chettiar, president of legal and advocacy group A Better Balance, which represents Kennisha.
"We do have some concerns on how rigorously the EEOC is going to be investigating these types of violations," said Chettiar.”

Just mind boggling. Yes, make white male snowflakes your first priority, by all means. But tell women to have more babies.

It will never be soon enough to get rid of these wackos running things in this country.

[bronxiteforever]

2. K&R. The prolife party isn't. It's all about the Benjamins.

Civil rights don’t have a conservative or liberal view either. You either have rights or you don’t.
Nothing made that clearer than murders of Good and Pretti. They didn’t even have the right to life.

[maspaha]

3. Shouldn't every working woman be punished during pregnancy?

I mean, she probably took a man’s job and she may have enjoyed the act that resulted in pregnancy.

[Multichromatic]

4. Remember Republicans are Pro Life...

● They don't care for or support pregnant women.

● They don't care for or support new born babies and mothers that need WIC assistance.

● They don't support and aren't willing to extend SNAP benefits to hungry children or their mothers.

● They don't support universal child care so mothers can go back to work.

● They don't support a universal school lunch program so children don't go hungry at school.

Republican are just a violent, hateful, ignorant death cult. They only care about money, power, and greed. I am SO sick of Republicans. Please just go away and leave us all alone!!!

[Prairie Gates]

5. I would say that this should bother the Birthrate Bros, but of course they don't want women working

in the first place.

[Puppyjive]

6. I was denied light duty

Worked for a major railroad. I went into preterm labor and my son was born 2 months early. Worked the day my water broke. I asked for light duty, and they denied me. They said they could not give me light duty because they would have to give it to the men as well. I still harbor anger and resentment. My son was denied entry into the military because we recently found out he has been hearing impaired since birth. They also stopped my insurance because the employee plan did not cover pregnancy. I had been ridiculed at work by a few male employees telling me I had taken a job away from a man. The good news is I was able to get some changes made with the railroad. Employee health plans now cover pregnancy and I believe they offer light duty to pregnant employees. I think this might all be coming to an end. I hate Trump. I fucking hate Trump.

[GP6971]

7. Locking per Host Consensus. Not LBN.

Please feel free to repost in GD or E&AO.