08-20-2024
Over a thousand female Customs and Border Protection (CBP) employees filed a class-action lawsuit accusing the agency of pregnancy discrimination. The plaintiffs worked in the CBP’s Office of Field Operations, which facilitates legal immigration, trade, and travel at U.S. ports of entry. They search for drugs and inspect agriculture to stop invasive species and toxic materials from entering the country. Women constitute just 24% of all CBP employees.
The women allege that CBP responded negatively to their pregnancies. Irrespective of their jobs or the physical demands of those jobs, agency supervisors transferred them to administrative or secretarial positions, usually unrelated to their skills. The women assert these light-duty transfers hurt their chances of advancement. Some of the women earned less money because the light-duty positions did not offer overtime. In addition, they claim CBP required them to turn in their firearms while pregnant and made them requalify after giving birth to carry firearms again.
CPB agreed to a $45 million settlement to compensate the 1,000 CBP officers and agriculture specialists. The EEOC filed the first lawsuit based on these allegations in 2016 and must approve the settlement. CBP agreed to draft a new policy for pregnant workers, and the plaintiffs' attorneys will monitor CBP's compliance over the next three years. The administrative judge overseeing the case warned the CBP not to retaliate against the women. CBP denied engaging in discriminatory conduct and asserted it only placed pregnant workers on light duty with their written consent.