RALEIGH, N.C. (Legal Newsline) — The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has announced a lawsuit against RTG Furniture Corp. of Georgia, a Florida corporation operating Rooms to Go furniture stores and distribution centers around the country, for allegations of violating federal anti-pregnancy discrimination laws.
The company hired Chantoni McBryde on June 1, 2015, and tasked her with apprenticing at a training facility, a role that included using various chemicals to repair furniture. McBryde allegedly told the company’s shop trainer that she was pregnant June 3. She was then purportedly called into a meeting that same day and fired after managers discussed how one of the chemicals had warnings that its content could affect pregnant women and unborn children.
Alleged conduct of this nature violates the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, which is part of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
"Pregnant women have the right to make their own decisions about working while pregnant, including the risks they are willing to assume," said Lynette A. Barnes, regional attorney for EEOC's Charlotte District Office. "Companies must not impose paternalistic notions on pregnant women as doing so can result in unlawful discrimination."