Amazon is facing a lawsuit accusing the company of repeatedly violating federal and New York laws designed to protect pregnant employees by denying them basic workplace accommodations.
The complaint was filed by four former warehouse workers and alleges that Amazon failed to provide pregnant employees with measures such as access to chairs, bathroom and water breaks, and time away from work for prenatal medical appointments.
According to the lawsuit, pregnant workers were threatened with termination and in some cases dismissed after missing what Amazon considered excessive amounts of work. The complaint also accuses the company of improperly requiring medical documents from employees requesting pregnancy related accommodations.
The former employees argue that these practices violate the federal Pregnant Workers Fairness Act as well as New York labor law.
The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Brooklyn, New York. It describes Amazon as one of the largest employers in the United States and argues that the company has a significant responsibility to protect employees who become pregnant.
Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said the company provides pregnancy related accommodations to tens of thousands of workers every year. She said more than 99.9 percent of accommodation requests were approved during the past year and added that protecting employees’ health and well being remains one of Amazon’s major responsibilities.
The lawsuit seeks compensation for lost wages and benefits, punitive damages and a court order preventing discrimination against pregnant employees.
Hospitalisation Allegedly Followed by Termination Warning
The case was filed on Tuesday by A Better Balance, a nonprofit organisation that advocates for workers’ rights.
The lawsuit comes 11 months after New Jersey filed a case against Amazon alleging widespread discrimination involving warehouse workers with disabilities and pregnant employees. New York authorities brought a similar lawsuit against the company in 2022.
One of the plaintiffs, Willamina Barclay, said Amazon issued her a warning about possible termination on June 17, 2025.
She said this happened one day after she was taken from Amazon’s Rochester, New York, warehouse in a wheelchair and hospitalised because of a pregnancy related emergency.
Barclay said she had experienced severe abdominal pain after lifting heavy items. According to her account, Amazon considered the hospitalisation to have pushed her beyond the company’s limit for unpaid time off and also penalised her because she had worked part of that day.
The lawsuit will now put Amazon’s policies concerning pregnant workers under further legal scrutiny.