November 20, 2018

Warren & Blumenthal Lead Inquiry Into Brutal Working Conditions at XPO Logistics Warehouse That May Have Caused Several Miscarriages

Text of Letter to XPO Logistics (PDF) | Text of Letter to Verizon (PDF) 

Boston, MA - Following a New York Times report, “Miscarrying at Work: The Physical Toll of Pregnancy Discrimination,” United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) led a group of nine senators in writing to XPO Logistics and Verizon to demand the companies explain their reported failure to provide reasonable accommodation for pregnant workers, which in several tragic cases may have contributed to their miscarriages. The New York Times report detailed brutal working conditions and strenuous work requirements at a XPO Logistics warehouse that contracts for Verizon in Memphis, Tennessee, where at least six workers suffered miscarriages before and during XPO’s ownership of the warehouse.

“Women should never – while pregnant or at any time during parenthood – be forced to choose between having a child and continuing to work to put food on the table. Despite this, an untold number of pregnant women in America have been passed over for promotions, fired, denied reasonable work accommodations, or have been otherwise discriminated against at the hands of employers because they are pregnant or experiencing a pregnancy-related medical condition,” the senators wrote. 

“For many, this inexcusable discrimination leads to lost paychecks, unemployment, retaliation, or job changes. For others, like Chastity Bee, Erica Hayes, Tasha Murrell, and Ceeadria Walker, warehouse employees who miscarried after being denied reasonable work accommodations, this discrimination also led to major health complications and the loss of a pregnancy.”

Today’s letter was also signed by United States Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), and Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii).

A PDF of today’s letter to XPO Logistics is available here. A PDF of today’s letter to Verizon is available here. 

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