Amazon is facing a proposed nationwide class action lawsuit accusing the retail giant of systematically discriminating against pregnant employees across its US workforce.
The lawsuit, filed by four former warehouse workers in a federal court in Brooklyn, New York, alleges Amazon denied pregnant employees workplace adjustments including chairs, additional bathroom and water breaks, and time off to attend prenatal appointments.
The claim also alleges the retailer threatened or dismissed workers after they exceeded limits on time away from work and required medical documentation from employees seeking pregnancy-related accommodations.
The plaintiffs argue the alleged practices breach the US Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and New York labour law.
Amazon has rejected the allegations.
A spokesperson for the company said it provides pregnancy-related accommodations to tens of thousands of workers each year and approved more than 99.9 per cent of requests during the past year.
The company added that the accounts given by the four former employees contained inaccuracies and omitted important details.
The lawsuit is being brought with support from workers’ rights nonprofit A Better Balance and seeks lost wages and benefits, punitive damages and an injunction aimed at preventing further alleged discrimination.
One of the claimants, Willamina Barclay, alleges she received a termination warning a day after being taken from an Amazon warehouse in Rochester, New York, in a wheelchair and admitted to hospital with a pregnancy-related emergency in June 2025.
According to the complaint, Amazon said the hospital visit had pushed Barclay beyond her allowance for unpaid time off. She was dismissed five days later.
Amazon disputed the plaintiffs’ characterisation of events.
The case adds to existing scrutiny of Amazon’s employment practices.
New Jersey launched legal action against Amazon last year over alleged discrimination involving warehouse employees with disabilities or pregnancies, while New York brought a similar case in 2022.
Amazon is one of the largest private-sector employers in the US, with 1.58 million full and part-time staff at the end of 2025, ranking behind only Walmart.
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