Four pilots with Frontier Airlines say the Denver-based carrier has discriminated against them by failing to accommodate their breast-pumping needs.
They say the airline made it extremely difficult for them to continue to breast feed their babies once they returned to work.
The American Civil Liberties Union and the law firm of Holwell Shuster & Goldberg LLP filed a discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Denver office on the pilots’ behalf.
The pilots — Shannon Kiedrowsk, Brandy Beck, Erin Zielinkski and Randi Freyer — have collectively worked for Frontier for 35 years.
“We love our jobs as pilots for Frontier Airlines and we shouldn’t have to choose between our jobs and breast-feeding our children,” said Kiedrowski. “But because of the lack of accommodations for pregnancy and breast-feeding, that is exactly the position each of us has been put in. We’re bringing this complaint because no woman should have to go through what we went through.”
In a statement, the airline said its policies and practices comply with all federal and state laws as well as with the relevant provisions of the collective bargaining agreement between Frontier and its pilots group.
“While there are many work places that might allow for nursing mothers to express breast milk during a break from work activities, the duties of a commercial airline pilot present unique circumstances,” the statement said. “We have made good-faith effort to identify and provide rooms and other secure locations for use by breast-feeding pilots during their duty travel.”
According to the pilots, Frontier required pregnant pilots to take eight to 10 weeks of unpaid leave before their due date and allows a maximum of 120 days of unpaid maternity leave. Further, the pilots said, the airline failed to make accommodations to enable pilots who are breast-feeding to pump breast milk when they return to work.
The pilots say the airline’s policies violate state and federal laws against sex discrimination in employment because they treat pregnancy and breast-feeding less favorably than other medical conditions or disabilities that have a disproportionate effect on women.
They also allege violations of the Colorado Workplace Accommodations for Nursing Mothers Act, which requires employers to provide reasonable unpaid break time to allow the employee to express breast milk for her baby. The act also says the employer should provide a room, which is close to the work area, but is not a toilet stall.
“Currently, only 6 percent of commercial pilots are women. Discriminatory policies such as these across the airline industry contribute to this extremely low number,” said Hannah Sholl, counsel at Holwell Shuster & Goldberg. “We hope that Frontier takes the necessary steps to ensure that these discriminatory policies are ended once and for all.”
Women who work at Dish Network Corp. filed a similar EEOC complaint, with the backing of the ACLU, in 2014. The company resolved the issue by providing lactation rooms.
The Frontier pilots presented possible remedies to the airline but have not heard back from them, said Galen Sherwin, senior staff attorney with the ACLU Women’s Rights Project.
The women have asked for the airline to provide alternative assignments while they are breast feeding; the option to extend unpaid maternity leave beyond the 120 days; and for a designated lactation room in airports where the pilots fly into.
Denver Business Journal
Female pilots file discrimination complaint towards Frontier because of breast pumping
