Lawsuit: Amazon refused to give pregnant workers bathroom breaks and chairs
Lawsuit: Amazon refused to give pregnant workers bathroom breaks and chairs
诉讼：亚马逊拒绝为怀孕员工提供如厕休息和座椅
Amazon discriminated against pregnant warehouse employees by denying accommodations like bathroom breaks and the option to sit while working, according to a lawsuit filed yesterday by four women who worked for Amazon while pregnant. The lawsuit is a class-action complaint that seeks to represent Amazon workers throughout the US. 根据四名曾在怀孕期间为亚马逊工作的女性昨日提起的诉讼，亚马逊通过拒绝提供如厕休息和工作时坐下等便利措施，对怀孕的仓库员工进行了歧视。这是一起集体诉讼，旨在代表全美的亚马逊员工。
“Plaintiffs Willamina Barclay, Kristina Green, Jennifer Hatch, and Dazaria Parks were formerly Amazon warehouse employees,” said the lawsuit filed in US District Court for the Eastern District of New York. “All four became pregnant. All four asked Amazon for basic pregnancy-related accommodations so they could keep doing their jobs. Amazon denied them basic modifications the law recognizes pregnant workers regularly need, even in uncomplicated pregnancies: Bathroom breaks. An extra 15-minute break. Sitting instead of standing.” “原告 Willamina Barclay、Kristina Green、Jennifer Hatch 和 Dazaria Parks 曾是亚马逊的仓库员工，”这份提交至美国纽约东区联邦地区法院的诉讼书写道。“她们四人都怀孕了。她们四人都曾向亚马逊申请基本的孕期便利，以便能继续工作。但亚马逊拒绝了法律认可的孕妇（即使在妊娠过程顺利的情况下）通常需要的必要调整：如厕休息、额外的 15 分钟休息时间，以及坐着工作而非站着。”
The lawsuit said the four plaintiffs were unlawfully terminated from jobs at Amazon facilities in New York between April 2025 and July 2026. After the plaintiffs “took medically necessary breaks or absences to get off their feet, visit the doctor, or go to the emergency room, they were punished,” the lawsuit said. “Amazon deducted their limited bank of unpaid time off. Soon enough, they had depleted that limited bank of ‘unpaid time off,’ and Amazon threatened to terminate them.” 诉讼称，这四名原告于 2025 年 4 月至 2026 年 7 月期间在纽约的亚马逊设施中被非法解雇。诉讼指出，在原告“为了休息双脚、看医生或去急诊室而进行医疗必需的休息或缺勤后，她们受到了惩罚。亚马逊扣除了她们有限的无薪休假额度。很快，她们就耗尽了这些有限的‘无薪休假’额度，亚马逊便威胁要解雇她们。”
In a statement, Amazon said the lawsuit contains inaccuracies and denied that it violates federal law on pregnancy accommodations. “We’re limited in discussing ongoing legal matters, however we look forward to a timely resolution of these matters, as extended investigation timelines benefit neither employees nor employers,” Amazon said. 亚马逊在一份声明中表示，该诉讼包含不实之处，并否认其违反了关于孕期便利的联邦法律。“我们无法讨论正在进行的法律事务，但我们期待这些问题能得到及时解决，因为过长的调查周期对员工和雇主都没有好处，”亚马逊表示。
Amazon has faced similar lawsuits in previous years, but this one has the added backing of a 2022 US law called the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA). The relatively new federal law requires “reasonable accommodations for qualified employees affected by pregnancy, childbirth, lactation, or related medical conditions and limitations so long as doing so does not create an undue hardship on the entity’s operations,” the lawsuit said. 亚马逊在过去几年中曾面临类似的诉讼，但此次诉讼有 2022 年美国《孕妇公平法案》（PWFA）的支持。诉讼称，这项相对较新的联邦法律要求“为受怀孕、分娩、哺乳或相关医疗状况和限制影响的合格员工提供合理的便利，前提是这样做不会给实体的运营造成过度的困难。”
Amazon demanded medical documentation even for simple requests, the lawsuit said. “When Plaintiffs sought accommodations, Amazon applied its unlawful policy of demanding medical paperwork for every pregnancy-related accommodation request, no matter how basic,” despite such paperwork often taking weeks to obtain early in pregnancy, the lawsuit said. 诉讼称，即使是简单的请求，亚马逊也要求提供医疗证明。“当原告寻求便利时，亚马逊执行了其非法政策，要求每一项与怀孕相关的便利请求都必须提供医疗文书，无论请求多么基础，”尽管在怀孕早期，获取此类文书往往需要数周时间。
The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency that enforces the PWFA, instructed employers in 2024 that it is not reasonable to demand supporting documentation for certain kinds of pregnancy-related requests. This includes having water nearby for drinking, taking additional bathroom breaks, taking breaks to eat and drink, and sitting while working, “because these are a small set of commonly sought modifications that are widely known to be needed during an uncomplicated pregnancy,” the EEOC said. 负责执行 PWFA 的联邦机构——美国平等就业机会委员会（EEOC）在 2024 年指示雇主，要求某些类型的孕期请求提供证明文件是不合理的。这包括在身边放置饮用水、增加如厕休息次数、进食和饮水休息，以及坐着工作，“因为这些是众所周知的在顺利妊娠期间通常需要的一小部分调整，”EEOC 表示。
Hatch’s claims have reportedly been evaluated and deemed credible by the EEOC. She filed a charge of discrimination with the EEOC, and in February 2026 the agency found reasonable cause that Amazon “has discriminated against a nationwide class of female warehouse associates, based on their pregnancy, by failing to accommodate their limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, and or related medical conditions, and in some instances forcing them to take leave, in violation of the PWFA,” according to the lawsuit. 据报道，Hatch 的指控已由 EEOC 评估并被认定为可信。她向 EEOC 提交了歧视指控，据诉讼称，该机构在 2026 年 2 月认定有合理理由相信亚马逊“基于怀孕对全国范围内的女性仓库员工群体进行了歧视，未能满足她们与怀孕、分娩或相关医疗状况相关的限制需求，并在某些情况下强迫她们休假，违反了 PWFA。”
The EEOC finding was previously described in a New York Times report published in April. The NYT report said that because of the finding, “The EEOC will now try to reach an agreement with Amazon. If it can’t, Ms. Hatch will have the option of suing.” According to the lawsuit filed yesterday, “the EEOC issued Ms. Hatch a Notice of Right to Sue” on August 26. Barclay also received a Notice of Right to Sue. EEOC 的这一调查结果此前曾在 4 月份发表的《纽约时报》报道中被提及。该报道称，由于这一发现，“EEOC 现在将尝试与亚马逊达成协议。如果无法达成，Hatch 女士将可以选择起诉。”根据昨日提交的诉讼，“EEOC 于 8 月 26 日向 Hatch 女士签发了起诉权通知书。”Barclay 也收到了起诉权通知书。
The lawsuit accuses Amazon of violating the PWFA by failing to accommodate pregnant workers and by retaliating against those who sought reasonable accommodations. “Plaintiffs and Class Members’ requests for reasonable accommodation caused Amazon to take adverse employment actions against them by applying its Punitive Attendance Policy, leading to disciplinary action and/or termination,” the lawsuit said. 诉讼指控亚马逊未能为怀孕员工提供便利，并对寻求合理便利的员工进行报复，从而违反了 PWFA。“原告和集体成员对合理便利的请求导致亚马逊通过执行其惩罚性考勤政策，对她们采取了不利的就业行动，导致了纪律处分和/或解雇，”诉讼称。
The state of New Jersey previously sued Amazon in October 2025, alleging widespread discrimination against pregnant workers and employees with disabilities. Amazon reported $200.6 billion in net sales in Q2 2026 and a net income of $62.6 billion. 新泽西州曾于 2025 年 10 月起诉亚马逊，指控其对怀孕员工和残疾员工存在广泛的歧视。亚马逊 2026 年第二季度的净销售额为 2006 亿美元，净利润为 626 亿美元。
Amazon said in a statement provided to Ars that the claims in the New York-based workers’ lawsuit “contain inaccuracies and omit important details” and “do not reflect the full facts of these cases or the reality of our extensive accommodations process…. While we’re not able to discuss individual employee details, we have conducted thorough internal reviews of each case referenced.” 亚马逊在提供给 Ars 的一份声明中表示，纽约员工诉讼中的指控“包含不实之处并遗漏了重要细节”，且“没有反映这些案件的全部事实或我们广泛的便利化流程的现实……虽然我们无法讨论个别员工的细节，但我们已经对所提及的每个案例进行了彻底的内部审查。”
Amazon said it “strive[s] to provide a safe and supportive environment for everyone, which includes supporting tens of thousands of employees with pregnancy accommodations each year. In the past year, more than 99.9 percent of pregnancy related accommodations requests have been approved,” including “additional breaks, modified duty, or seated roles.” Amazon also said it provides “up to 20 weeks of fully paid leave for eligible birthing parents, including four weeks of pre-partum leave and a ramp-back program.” 亚马逊表示，它“致力于为每个人提供一个安全和支持性的环境，其中包括每年为数万名员工提供孕期便利。在过去的一年中，超过 99.9% 的孕期便利请求已获得批准，”包括“额外的休息时间、调整后的工作职责或坐姿工作岗位。”亚马逊还表示，它为符合条件的生育员工提供“长达 20 周的全薪假期，包括 4 周的产前假和重返工作岗位计划。”
Barclay and Green worked at an Amazon warehouse in Rochester, New York. Hatch had a job processing customer returns in a Lancaster fulfillment center, while Parks was a delivery associate at an Amazon delivery station in Rochester. Barclay 和 Green 曾在纽约罗切斯特的一家亚马逊仓库工作。Hatch 在兰开斯特的配送中心负责处理客户退货，而 Parks 则是罗切斯特亚马逊配送站的一名配送员。