NEW: Biden has nearly erased Trump’s early polling advantage, amid signs that the Democratic base has begun to coalesce despite lingering concerns on economy and age.
Trump: 46% (-2)
Biden: 45% (+2)My write up of the latest NYT/Siena poll—> https://t.co/E2ycphhgPr
— Shane Goldmacher (@ShaneGoldmacher) April 13, 2024
New rules for Pregnant Workers Fairness Act includes divisive accommodations for abortion https://t.co/kiSeMSpewg
— The Associated Press (@AP) April 15, 2024
Workers are entitled to time off and other job accommodations for abortions — along with pregnancy-related medical conditions like miscarriage, stillbirth and lactation — under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, according to finalized federal regulations published Monday.
The regulations provide guidance for employers and workers on how to implement the law, which passed with robust bipartisan Congressional support in December 2022 but sparked controversy last year when the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission included abortions in its draft rules. The language means that workers can ask for time off to obtain an abortion and recover from the procedure.
The EEOC says its decision to keep the abortion provisions in its final rules, despite criticism from some conservatives, is consistent with its own longstanding interpretation of Title VII, as well as court rulings. The federal agency added that the new law does not obligate employers or employer-sponsored health plans to cover abortion-related costs, and that the type of accommodation that most likely will be sought under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act regarding an abortion is time off to attend a medical appointment or for recovery, which does not have to be paid.
The act requires most employers with 15 or more employees to provide “reasonable accommodations” for a worker’s known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions — including fertility and infertility treatments in some cases — unless the accommodation will cause the employer an undue hardship. The EEOC’s regulations will go into effect on June 18.
Labor advocates hailed the new law as especially important for women of color who are most likely to work in low-wage, physically demanding jobs but are often denied accommodations for everything from time off for medical appointments to the ability to sit or stand on the job. Major business groups also supported the law, citing the need for clarity about the accommodations that employers are required to give pregnant workers…
I can remember — because it was just changing, and not easily, when I entered the workforce in the 1970s — when it was standard business procedure to fire any woman who became pregnant, on the grounds they were ‘too much trouble’ or ‘made other employees / customers / uncomfortable’, and besides they were only going to leave and not come back once they gave birth. That didn’t change because bosses suddenly became enlightened; it required a lot of women (and their legislators, many of them women) to fight for every scrap of dignity.
Biden campaign co chair Gov. @gretchenwhitmer:
Our choice could not be more stark. Joe Biden is standing between a national abortion ban and expanding access to care for women & Trump appointed the justices who overturned Roe. Let's be very clear: Donald Trump did this pic.twitter.com/ZGMf4an35t
— Julia Hamelburg (@juliahamelburg) April 14, 2024
Tuesday Morning Open Thread: Doing As Much As We Can With the Tools We HavePost + Comments (137)