Young V. United Parcel Service Case Study

There is no denying that women have made considerable progress from the struggles and discrimination they faced in the past 50 years. However, women are still facing many obstacles in the workplace including unequal pay, sexual harassment, and gender discrimination. One particular challenge women face is the fundamental right to have a family. Having a baby is a joyous occasion for families, and most employers are more than happy to make the proper accommodations for women expecting a child. Unfortunately, there are other individuals who share the conclusion that ladies contribute less while pregnant, and that may contact the judgment that women don't work as hard as men. Pregnancy discrimination is an all too common and unfortunately growing
United Parcel Service, Inc.” case, Peggy Young was employed as a part-time delivery driver for UPS. Although all drivers were required to be able to lift items weighing up to 70 pounds as an essential function of their jobs, the plaintiff's duties generally included carrying lighter letters and packages. After the plaintiff became pregnant, she asked for a brief leave of absence. Shortly thereafter, she submitted a doctor's note with a recommendation that she not lift more than 20 pounds. The company denied her request but also denied her return to work on the basis that lifting more than 20 pounds was an essential function of her job. Notably, UPS, as do many employers, provided employees who had on-the-job injuries with light-duty assignments. Additionally, the company regularly provided light duty or other accommodations to certain other categories of employees (such as those who had disabilities under the ADA and drivers who lost DOT certification and were unable to drive). Employees who did not fall into any of these categories were not eligible for light-duty assignments. Because Young did not, she remained on an unpaid leave of absence. She then filed a lawsuit against the company, arguing that the PDA requires employers to provide pregnant employees with light-duty work if they provide similar work to other employees in other circumstances. “The Supreme Court cobbled together a 6-3 majority to rule in favor of Peggy Young, a UPS employee who was not offered an accommodation by her employer when she was pregnant. The justices didn’t accept the broadest version of Young’s discrimination argument, but they certainly made it clear that nobody can be treated as she was by an employer without recourse to the courts”