Amazon Sued for Allegedly Denying Pregnant Workers Bathroom Breaks and Firing Them Over Time Off

Amazon was sued in Brooklyn federal court on Tuesday in a proposed nationwide class action accusing the retailer of denying pregnant employees basic accommodations, including bathroom breaks, and firing some workers over pregnancy-related absences and breaks.

Four former warehouse employees brought the case, saying the practices affected thousands of pregnant staff. The lawsuit alleges Amazon also denied chairs, water breaks and time off for prenatal appointments, while demanding medical documentation from employees seeking pregnancy-related accommodations.

The plaintiffs say those practices violated the federal Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and New York labour law. The complaint describes the alleged conduct as systematic and says it affected thousands of pregnant employees across Amazon's workforce.

Amazon strongly rejected the accusations, maintaining that its facilities provide robust support and that leadership approved more than 99% of formal pregnancy accommodation requests over the past year.

The high-stakes legal challenge arrives as regulatory agencies step up scrutiny of warehousing labour standards and workplace safety protocols nationwide.

Amazon Sued Over Alleged Pregnancy Accommodation Failures

A Better Balance, a non-profit organisation that advocates for workers' rights, filed the complaint. It seeks lost pay and benefits, punitive damages and an injunction against discrimination involving pregnant employees.

According to the filing, Amazon routinely denied basic workplace adjustments requested by pregnant staff. The alleged restrictions covered everyday needs such as access to water and toilets, as well as time off for prenatal appointments.

The complaint says workers could be threatened with dismissal or fired after missing too much work, even when the absences were connected to pregnancy, and that the company unlawfully required medical documentation from employees seeking accommodations.

'Amazon is one of this country's largest employers, [and] it is no surprise that many of its workers become pregnant,' the complaint said. 'Yet Amazon violates the law at every turn.'

Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel rebutted the accusations, saying the company provides pregnancy-related accommodations to tens of thousands of employees each year and approved more than 99.9 per cent of requests in the last year.

'Ensuring the health and well-being of our employees is one of our greatest responsibilities,' Nantel said. She also said the four plaintiffs' accounts 'contain inaccuracies and omit important details'.

Amazon Sued After Worker Says Hospital Visit Led to Dismissal

One plaintiff, Willamina Barclay, said Amazon issued her a termination warning on 17 June 2025, one day after she was taken by wheelchair from its Rochester, New York, warehouse and hospitalised during a pregnancy-related emergency.

According to the complaint, Barclay was suffering severe abdominal pain after lifting heavy objects at work.

She said Amazon treated the hospital visit as pushing her beyond her unpaid-time-off limit and deducted from her time balance because she had 'worked partially that day'. Five days later, the complaint said, Amazon fired her.

The latest lawsuit follows other legal action involving Amazon's treatment of pregnant workers and employees seeking workplace accommodations.

New Jersey sued the company 11 months earlier, accusing it of widespread discrimination against warehouse employees who had disabilities or were pregnant.

The New York State Division of Human Rights filed a similar discrimination complaint against Amazon in 2022.

Amazon has also faced court complaints over its treatment of employees, including workers seeking to unionise. Those complaints are separate from Tuesday's proposed class action, which focuses on alleged pregnancy-related accommodations and attendance practices.

Amazon Pregnancy Lawsuit Arrives Before EEOC Rule Review

The Seattle-based retailer was the second-largest private employer in the United States at the end of 2025, behind Walmart.

Amazon reported approximately 1.58 million full-time and part-time employees worldwide as of 31 December 2025.

The case also comes ahead of an expected review of regulations supporting the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission plans to propose changes to those regulations in November.

EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas said in 2024 that the agency's final regulations interpreted parts of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act too broadly.

A spokesperson for New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said the state's lawsuit remains ongoing after a Superior Court judge rejected Amazon's request for dismissal on 31 July.

Legal battles over warehouse working conditions are expected to intensify as federal agencies evaluate regulatory updates.