Walmart accused of discriminating against pregnant workers

The world's largest retailer is being accused of discriminating against its pregnant employees, according to a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Reuters reports.

The lawsuit alleges Walmart Inc.'s Wisconsin distribution center has discriminated against its pregnant employees since 2014 by forcing them to take unpaid leave and denying their requests for easier tasks, per Reuters. The lawsuit stems from a complaint filed by formerly pregnant Walmart employee Alyssa Gilliam, who says Walmart would not give her additional breaks or a chair to sit on while working and alleges Walmart denied requests for restrictions on heavy lifting, Reuters says.

The EEOC said Walmart granted these requests for workers with disabilities or injuries but failed to grant them to pregnant workers. Under the federal Pregnancy Discrimination Act, employers are required to treat pregnant employees the same as temporarily disabled employees by providing modified tasks.

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Walmart currently employs nearly 1.5 million people in the U.S. — more than half of them women. Read more about the lawsuit at Reuters.