Reasons for being laid off

[JennyL]

I work for a large corporation in Pennsylvania that was recently bought by a large international company. Does the company have to give a reason for laying off certain people? In my case, even though I am one of the senior people in my department, I am pregnant. If I were to be laid off before other employees, I think it would be because of my pregnancy. Is this legal or would I have recourse?

 

[loku]

Discrimination for pregnancy

Under the general rule, most people are employees at will and have no employment contracts or union contracts that protect them. That means that a boss can fire them at will for any legal reason other than discrimination on the basis of such things such as race, color, creed, etc. or no reason at all. If there is an employment contract, or a union, that's different.

However, under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, which is an amendment to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, discrimination on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions constitutes unlawful sex discrimination under Title VII. Women affected by pregnancy or related conditions must be treated in the same manner as other applicants or employees with similar abilities or limitations.