I Am Currently Preganant And Due In October 05. I Work As A Chemist For A Paint Company In Ohio, In Which I Work With Many Harmful Chemicals. I Got A Note From My Doctor Excusing Me From Working Within The Lab Environment. I Have Been Doing So For The Past Six Weeks.

Yesterday(4/6/05), Our Hr Representative Informed Me That They Will Be Putting Me On Leave Starting Next Friday (4/15/05). She Explained That This Is Due To The Fact That There Is Not Enough Work For Me To Do Outside Of The Laboratory. She Explained That I Still Have A Job And After My Baby Is Born I Will Receive My Short Term Disability For 12 Weeks. She Said That I Would Keep My Full Benefits While I Am On Leave. But I Will Be On Unpaid Leave Until The Baby Is Born.

The Fact That There Is No Enough For Me To Do Is Simply Not True. I Have Kept Myself Busy For The Last Six Weeks Doing Several Projects That Did Not Require Labwork. Our Hr Rep Told Me She Asked All Managers Of Every Department To See If I Could Be Used Somewhere Else. She Said That Nothing Was Available, Not Even Part Time. I Find This Very Hard To Believe. I Know Of Several People That Told Me Themselves That They Could Use Some Help. We Have Had Other Women Within The Company Become Pregnant And They Were Able To Work Outside Of The Laboratory. Our Hr Rep Answered That With Reasons That Their Jobs Were Different Than Mine. I Am A Chemist For Our Technical Department. One Woman Was A Chemist For Our Analytical Lab. One Woman Is A Technician For Our Qc Department. I Still Do Not See How This Should Differ.

Can My Employer Really Do This? I Cannot Afford To Not Work Without Pay For The Next Six Months.

Yes, they can, as long as that is what they do with other employees who are restricted from work in similar positions as yours and who are not pregnant. Even then, it may be difficult for you to prove that there is a problem. The reason is that you say that other women who are pregnant were given accommodations.