FRESNO, Calif. (Legal Newsline) —The U.S. Equal Employment Commission (EEOC) announced Oct. 31 that Peninsula Packaging, a packaging production company for consumer goods with headquarters in Exeter, California, will pay $45,000 and provide other relief after allegations of pregnancy discrimination.
When an employee who worked as a packer at Peninsula became pregnant, she required a modification to do her job. According to the EEOC, the company refused the accommodation and instead placed her on an involuntary leave of absence.
The EEOC said the company violated Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, as amended by the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, by discriminating against the employee because of her pregnancy. In addition to a monetary penalty, Peninsula will hire an outside consultant to develop effective equal opportunity training programs at the company.
"Employers have an obligation to provide an accommodation to a pregnant employee, particularly if they are providing the same accommodation to other employees," said Melissa Barrios, director of EEOC's Fresno local office, which includes San Benito County in its jurisdiction. "We commend Peninsula Packaging for working with the EEOC to resolve this charge and for implementing measures intended to prevent discrimination in the workplace."