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Complaints of workplace discrimination cost pregnant woman’s job

Discrimination against a pregnant woman is not uncommon in the workplace. A conductor of a symphony production claims she was fired from her job because she complained about workplace discrimination that occurred during her second pregnancy. The California woman’s first pregnancy ended in miscarriage about a year after she began working for the production company. When she became pregnant for the second time, she feels the producers mistreated her.

The woman says she requested permission to sit on a stool when producers spoke to the audience, as they routinely did during the shows. In lieu of this, she asked that producers limit their comments so she would not have to stand for so long. Despite numerous inquiries, there were two shows when her request was not accommodated. She says that when she complained about this, they fired her.

The producers maintain that the conductor was fired because she was trying to form a competing symphony, but the woman says she begged them to let her stay with the show. Additionally, she claims the company is still profiting by using her image on their promotional material, for which she feels they owe her compensation. The loss of income has created a hardship for her family.

The woman asserts that her creativity, which she relies on as a composer, has been damaged by the ordeal. The accommodations she requested for her pregnancy were not unreasonable, but she is convinced they are the cause of her being fired. Workplace discrimination against a pregnant woman is against the law in California and across the country. Any woman who feels she has been treated unfairly because of a pregnancy has every right to contact an attorney.

Source: mynewsla.com, “Fired over pregnancy? Former ‘Zelda’ conductor says her faith in people is ruined!“, Stephanie Michaud, July 14, 2016