Text Box: Volume 29, Number 10 June/July, 2009 Page # Text Box: Legal Advocacy Foundation Text Box: Thanks to the Branch: A big "Thank You" goes to all the members and guests who attended the AAUW luncheon Saturday, May 16, at Corvallis Country Club and donated books and other media materials for the sale.  We will now be able to add $203 to the monies going to the LAF Fund at the end of this year. LAF provides the following services: 1) Provides financial and moral support for those fighting sex discrimination in the workplace and on campus 2) Develops and supports proactive Campus Outreach Programs 3) Produces comprehensive online legal resources 4) Sustains a network of attorneys 5) Advocates for equitable policies and practices for campuses and workplaces Text Box: Pregnancy Discrimination Case: In October AAUW joined the National Women's Law Center in signing an amicus brief in support of employees in a pregnancy discrimination case before the U.S. Supreme Court.  The case, AT&T v. Hulteen, involves a group of women who took pregnancy leave before the Pregnancy Discrimination Act passed, which resulted in smaller pensions than those of women who took pregnancy leave at AT&T after 1978. The women argue that their pensions should reflect the new pregnancy leave policy, not the older, discriminatory policy.  The U.S. Court of Appeals for The 9th Circuit ruled in favor of the employees, but AT&T appealed.  The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case in December and thus far no decision has been announced.  The court's interpretation in Ledbetter v Goodyear, which limited the time frame within which one could file suit Text Box: over unequal pay, may be crucial to the ultimate decision in this case.  Under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act: 1) Employers with more than 15 employees are required to treat women who are pregnant the same way they treat other employees with temporary disabilities. 2) Facially discriminatory policies that limit or preclude women from performing specific jobs simply because they are fertile or pregnant are prohibited. 3) Actions by employers that result in disparate treatment or impact toward women because of their ability to become pregnant are also prohibited. 4) An employer cannot refuse to hire a pregnant woman because of her pregnancy or because of a pregnancy-related condition.

By Legal Advocacy  Foundation  Chair

Marilyn Roland

rolandm2@comcast.net