Four former Amazon employees have filed a nationwide class action lawsuit against Amazon, alleging that the retail giant violated the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) by failing to provide workplace accommodations for pregnant employees. According to the complaint, Amazon denied pregnancy-related accommodation requests, including chairs, bathroom and water breaks, and absences for prenatal appointments for warehouse workers. The former workers also allege that the company required unnecessary medical documentation for requested accommodations and terminated some workers who took too much unpaid leave due to pregnancy.
Amazon responded that the company approves thousands of pregnancy-related accommodations for its workers each year. The company also claimed that it granted more than 99.95% of such requests in 2025.
Under the PWFA, employers with 15 or more employees generally must provide reasonable accommodations for any limitations based on pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. The only exception is if the requested accommodation creates an undue hardship for the employer. Moreover, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s PWFA rules state that employers should promptly grant routine accommodation requests, which typically should not require a doctor’s note. The former workers complain that instead of receiving quick decisions on simple accommodation requests, they received paperwork requests and no decision for weeks at a time. The workers compared the accommodation request process to a complex disability claim.
EEOC rules also state that employers are not required to obtain supporting documentation from an employee requesting a PWFA accommodation. In fact, employers should request additional documentation only when reasonable under the circumstances.
Furthermore, the former workers claim that Amazon penalized workers for pregnancy-related breaks, including those for appointments, emergency room visits, and lactation. One named plaintiff alleges that after she suffered a pregnancy-related medical emergency, she received a termination warning and was terminated a few days later. In addition, Amazon’s timekeeping system reportedly tracks pregnancy-related breaks as “time off” tasks rather than legally protected time. According to the EEOC, attendance policies and timekeeping systems must not punish employees for using PWFA accommodations. Additionally, nursing employees have rights under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to reasonable break time and a private space to pump for up to one year after a child’s birth. What is “reasonable” depends on an individual employee’s needs.
The former Amazon workers are seeking lost pay and benefits, punitive damages, and an injunction prohibiting further discrimination against workers using these accommodations. To date, the court has not certified a class in the case.
Given the allegations in this case, experts urge businesses to create a simple, quick, and effective system for routine pregnancy accommodation requests. Ideally, these requests should receive fast-tracked approval from immediate managers. Taking proactive steps to comply with the law can help avoid future liability.
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