Manhattan hair salon Warren Tricomi has agreed to pay $30,000 to settle a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The EEOC filed suit in September 2011 on behalf of Jessica Manno, who alleged that the salon fired her in 2010 when management learned she was pregnant. The EEOC’s lawsuit claimed the salon’s conduct violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA).
This New York Employment Attorney Blog reported on Manno’s case in November 2011 after the EEOC filed suit. Warren Tricomi is an upscale salon with two locations in Manhattan and one in Greenwich, Connecticut. It also has locations in Miami Beach and Los Angeles, with a planned location in Shrewsbury, New Jersey. Manno had about ten years of experience when Warren Tricomi hired her as an assistant colorist at its Plaza Hotel location in Manhattan in roughly February 2010. After she had held the job for six months, the salon’s owner offered to promote her to colorist. Three weeks after he offered the promotion, Manno told the owner she was pregnant. She said in her lawsuit that the owner told her he needed to discuss the matter with his fellow owners, and that he did not contact her or return her phone calls for some time. On or about September 1, 2010, she was fired from the salon.
Manno reported the matter to the EEOC, which conducted an investigation and determined that unlawful pregnancy discrimination had occurred. When it could not resolve the matter with the salon, it filed suit in a Manhattan federal district court in September 2011. The lawsuit asked for back pay and Manno’s reinstatement at the salon with the promised promotion. Alternatively, Manno wanted damages for lost wages, as she claimed she could not find a job at another salon since her termination from Warren Tricomi.
In addition to a $30,000 payment, Warren Tricomi’s management will provide Manno with a positive employment reference as part of the settlement agreement. The salon has agreed to provide training to its staff on employment discrimination laws. It will also post notices regarding anti-discrimination laws and Manno’s lawsuit and settlement at its five salon locations around the country.
Federal anti-discrimination laws prohibit discrimination in hiring, promotions, job assignments, firing and layoffs, and benefits based on an employee’s pregnancy, viewing this as a form of gender discrimination. This protection covers the term of pregnancy as well as medical conditions directly related to the pregnancy. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 established guidelines for protecting workers from employment discrimination based on gender and other factors such as race and national origin. The PDA, passed by Congress in 1978, amended the Civil Rights Act to specifically include “pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions” in the definition of discrimination “because of” or “on the basis of” sex.
The New York pregnancy discrimination lawyers at Phillips & Associates help safeguard the rights protected by anti-discrimination laws for both employees and job seekers. Contact us today online or at (866) 229-9441 to schedule a free and confidential consultation.