A Better Balance Co-President Dina Bakst and A Better Balance Community Advocate Denizer Carter recently joined CNBC’s The News With Shepard Smith to discuss the urgent need for the Senate to vote on the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act now.
Carter, who contacted our free legal helpline when she was fired from her job at a grocery store in Louisiana after requesting a lifting restriction per her doctor’s orders, shared her story to highlight the need for this legislation. “It’s a tough pill to swallow, you know, because that’s your income,” she said, describing the struggles her family faced after she was pushed off the job. “Actually walk a mile in our shoes for a second, and listen to people’s stories.”
Watch the full segment
Carter’s story is all too common, and one we hear every day from women across the country who are forced to choose between their income and a healthy pregnancy due to a lack of access to simple yet vital workplace accommodations. “These are women who are in low-wage, physically-demanding jobs living paycheck to paycheck,” explained Bakst. “They want to work, but they also want to be able to follow doctors’ orders and protect their health.”
The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act has the bipartisan support it needs to pass the Senate, and is waiting for a vote. Senate Majority Leader Schumer must bring this bill to the floor for a vote this month in order to put a stop to the mistreatment faced every day by women like Denizer.
