Four former warehouse workers accuse the e-commerce giant of denying pregnant employees basic workplace support and unfairly firing some workers
Amazon has been sued in the US by four former warehouse workers who accuse the company of treating pregnant employees unfairly, including by firing some workers who took too much time off.
The proposed nationwide class-action lawsuit was filed in a federal court in Brooklyn, New York. It alleges that Amazon failed to provide pregnant workers with basic support at work, such as access to chairs, bathroom and water breaks, and time off for medical appointments.
The workers also accuse Amazon of threatening to fire pregnant employees who missed too much work and of asking for medical documents when they requested workplace support.
The lawsuit says these practices violate the federal Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and New York labour laws, as reported by Reuters.
What happened to the workers?
The case was filed by A Better Balance, a nonprofit organisation that advocates for workers.
One of the four plaintiffs, Willamina Barclay, said she was taken to hospital in a wheelchair after suffering a pregnancy-related medical emergency at an Amazon warehouse in Rochester, New York, in June 2025. Barclay said she had been experiencing severe abdominal pain after lifting heavy objects at work.
More from BusinessAccording to the lawsuit, Amazon later warned her that the hospital visit had taken her over the company’s limit for unpaid time off. The company also counted the day against her because she had worked part of her shift.
She received a termination warning the following day and was fired five days later, the complaint said.
The lawsuit claims other pregnant workers faced similar problems when they needed breaks, medical appointments or time away from work because of pregnancy-related issues.
Amazon rejects the allegations
Amazon said the claims made by the four former employees contain inaccuracies and leave out important details.
Company spokesperson Kelly Nantel said Amazon provides pregnancy-related workplace support to tens of thousands of employees every year.
She said the company approved more than 99.9 per cent of requests for such accommodations over the past year.
“Ensuring the health and well-being of our employees is one of our greatest responsibilities,” Nantel said.
The lawsuit is seeking compensation for lost wages and benefits, punitive damages and a court order requiring Amazon to stop discriminating against pregnant workers.
Amazon has faced similar complaints
The lawsuit is the latest in a series of legal challenges over Amazon’s treatment of its warehouse workers.
New Jersey sued Amazon last year, accusing the company of widespread discrimination against workers who were pregnant or had disabilities. A state court judge rejected Amazon’s request to dismiss that case in July, allowing it to continue.
New York filed a similar lawsuit against Amazon in 2022.
The latest case also comes as the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, or EEOC, prepares to propose changes to rules under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.
The law requires employers to provide reasonable workplace adjustments to employees affected by pregnancy or related medical conditions, unless doing so would create an undue hardship for the employer.
The EEOC has indicated that it wants to narrow some of the existing rules. Its chair, Andrea Lucas, said in 2024 that the regulations covering pregnant workers were too broad.
Amazon is the second-largest private employer in the US after Walmart. The company had 1.58 million full-time and part-time employees at the end of 2025.
(With inputs from agencies.)
