California provides job-related leave for pregnant people who are disabled by pregnancy, childbirth, or a related condition. However, pregnancy can be unpredictable, and you may not need to take your leave all at once. Intermittent leave may protect your job and provide partial income replacement. If your workplace targets you as a result of your pregnancy or your need for protected leave, your next call should be to a Pasadena pregnancy discrimination attorney.
California law offers strong protections for workers, and at Riggins Law, we are committed to enforcing those protections and seeking justice when an employer violates your rights. Attorney Christa Riggins focuses exclusively on employee claims involving discrimination, medical leave, and harassment, giving her the knowledge needed to handle your pregnancy discrimination case. Call our pregnancy discrimination law firm at 626-365-1599 to find out how we can advocate for you.
What Pregnancy Disability Leave Covers in California
Pregnancy Disability Leave is available to employees who are disabled by pregnancy, childbirth, or a medical condition related to their pregnancy. It is available to employees immediately upon hire if their employer has five or more employees. Employees can take up to four months per pregnancy, and they may qualify for State Disability Insurance wage replacement while they cannot work.
Pregnant employees often use PDL for conditions like severe morning sickness, doctor-ordered bed rest, gestational diabetes complications, preeclampsia, gestational hypertension, mobility limits, pregnancy loss, and postpartum complications.
Who is Covered?
Pasadena employees generally qualify for this type of leave if their employer has five or more employees. Since this is a state-level protection, you may qualify regardless of where you work in Pasadena or if you live outside city limits.
Intermittent Pregnancy Disability Leave
Intermittent leave refers to leave taken in separate blocks, rather than one continuous block of time. For example, a pregnant worker may take two weeks off for severe morning sickness in the first trimester, time off when complications require hospital monitoring, and days off during the third trimester for non-stress tests. Even though all of these periods of leave are separate, they would all fall under Pregnancy Disability Leave.
This comes into play when employers misunderstand (or intentionally mislead employees about) Pregnancy Disability Leave. They may claim that PDL starts only when an employee is ready to stop working completely until they return from maternity leave. PDL doesn’t work that way because pregnancies don’t work that way. A pregnant worker may need a half-day for a prenatal appointment, a day off for hospital monitoring, and a reduced schedule later in pregnancy. When the need for time off or a flexible schedule is related to pregnancy or a related condition, employers should not treat it as normal time off work.
Reduced Work Schedules During Pregnancy
There are times when pregnant employees need to reduce their workload, particularly if they work in a field that is physically demanding or requires a lot of standing. A reduced schedule may be protected when it is medically necessary. Our Pasadena employment lawyers may need to step in and advocate for clients when employers push back against these requests.
Reasonable Accommodations and Temporary Transfer
California’s Civil Rights Department has specifically addressed reasonable accommodations for pregnant employees. Pregnant employees may need a temporary modification of work duties, access to a stool or chair, or more frequent breaks, for example. Additionally, if an employee’s duties are too hazardous or strenuous during pregnancy, their employer may need to provide a temporary transfer to a different position or job duties.
How PDL Interacts With CFRA Bonding Leave
Pregnancy Disability Leave is separate from job-protected paid leave offered to new parents under the California Family Rights Act. While PDL protects workers disabled by pregnancy, CFRA bonding leave is a separate protected benefit for qualifying employees who are entitled to bonding time with their child. This is another area where a pregnancy discrimination attorney may need to step in, as some employers incorrectly claim that PDL “uses up” an employee’s time off.
Targeted by Your Employer? Call Our Pregnancy Discrimination Law Firm in Pasadena
If you’re ready to talk to a pregnancy discrimination lawyer about protecting your rights during and after pregnancy, our team is here to help. Fill out our online contact form or call us at 626-365-1599.
