Dive Brief:
- The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued QSR Pita USA, Inc., which owns the Pita Pit restaurant franchise, on June 24 for alleged sex and disability discrimination.
- The charging party, a Pita Pit worker in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was fired after asking to work from home to accommodate pregnancy-related nausea, along with a brief period of leave, according to the complaint. Prior to this request, the employee had allegedly worked from home and hadn’t received any negative feedback about her performance.
- Her pregnancy was called a “distraction” by management, EEOC alleged in the complaint.
Dive Insight:
EEOC alleged sex discrimination in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and disability discrimination in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
In its press release about Pita Pit, the agency highlighted other pregnancy-related cases alleging sex discrimination in violation of Title VII.
In May, a Texas bar was ordered to pay $42,000 in relief to a fired bartender who allegedly faced pregnancy discrimination. In the month prior, an assisted living facility in Minnesota agreed to pay $73,000 in relief after a manager discovered an employee’s pregnancy and allegedly launched a retaliation campaign.
EEOC also highlighted its first subpoena — involving a Chicago freight and logistics company — under the Pregnant Workers’ Fairness Act in April. In that instance, EEOC noted that the PWFA “specifically forbids placing an employee on leave when another reasonable accommodation is available” and that it “mandates that employees should be able to continue working if possible.”
The commission did not allege PWFA violations, however, in its lawsuit against Pita Pit.
HR Dive reached out to QSR Pita USA, Inc. and did not hear back by the time of publication.
