Denver-based Frontier Airways will settle a lawsuit with 5 Colorado pilots who alleged the airline discriminated in opposition to them whereas they have been pregnant and breastfeeding.
Beneath the settlement introduced this week, the airline will enable pilots to pump breastmilk within the cockpit throughout noncritical phases of the flight, and can replace different firm insurance policies that affect breastfeeding and lactating workers.
Frontier is among the first airways to allow pilots to pump breastmilk within the cockpit throughout flights, in line with the U.S Equal Employment Alternative Fee, which filed fees in opposition to the airline in Could 2018.
An legal professional for the EEOC stated she hopes the coverage adjustments function a mannequin for employers to accommodate pregnant and lactating employers.
The lawsuit was filed in December 2019 and by settling the swimsuit, Frontier doesn’t admit any legal responsibility, EEOC stated.
Aditi Fruitwala, a employees legal professional for the ACLU who represented the pilots, stated the group is proud to achieve an settlement that may profit pregnant employees now and sooner or later.
“This settlement ought to function a powerful message to employers — particularly airline employers — that cheap lodging resembling these agreed to by Frontier Airways are good for employees, good for households, good for enterprise, and required by the regulation,” Fruitwala stated. “We’re hopeful this may encourage extra change and stronger protections for employees throughout the airline business.”
Two lawsuits filed by Colorado-based pilots and flight attendants, filed in December 2019, accused Frontier of imposing insurance policies that penalized them for absences throughout their pregnancies and compelled pilots and flight attendants onto unpaid go away on the finish of their pregnancies with no various.
In response to the lawsuit, Frontier banned workers from pumping whereas on obligation and the pilots alleged they misplaced earnings and different advantages from being pressured into unpaid go away. Many who returned to work and tried to proceed breastfeeding with out lodging suffered from ache and different critical points and a few felt they’d no alternative however to surrender breastfeeding altogether.
The airline settled the discrimination lawsuit filed by the flight attendants in April 2022.
Frontier’s vice chairman for labor relations, Jacalyn Peter, stated in an announcement that the airline was happy “to be on the forefront of accommodating the wants of pregnant and breastfeeding moms within the airline business.”
“Thanks partially to advances in wearable lactation expertise, the events have been in a position to attain an amicable decision of this case that additionally maintains our dedication to the very best security requirements,” Peter stated.
The pilots have been additionally represented by New York-based regulation agency Holwell Shuster & Goldberg and Denver-based nonprofit In direction of Justice. An legal professional with EEOC declined Tuesday to supply a replica of the settlement settlement.