Four ex-employees of Amazon.com have brought a proposed nationwide class action against the company in U.S. federal court in Brooklyn, accusing the retailer of a pattern of discriminatory treatment toward pregnant workers at its warehouses.
The complaint, lodged by the workers on Tuesday, asserts that Amazon routinely fails to provide basic, pregnancy-related accommodations. According to the filing, denied accommodations include access to chairs while working, additional bathroom and water breaks, and time away from work for prenatal medical appointments.
In the complaint, the plaintiffs say Amazon frequently threatens to discipline or terminate pregnant employees who miss too much work. The suit also alleges the company illegally requires medical documentation from employees seeking accommodations. The plaintiffs contend these practices violate the federal Pregnant Workers Fairness Act as well as New York labor protections.
One of the named plaintiffs, Willamina Barclay, describes a sequence of events that the complaint says began with a pregnancy-related medical emergency at Amazon's Rochester, New York, warehouse. Barclay says she was taken from the facility in a wheelchair and hospitalized after suffering severe abdominal pain she attributes to lifting heavy objects. The complaint says Barclay received a termination warning on June 17, 2025 - one day after that hospitalization - because, the company allegedly asserted, the hospital visit pushed her over the limit for unpaid time off and she had "worked partially that day." The filing states she was fired five days later.
The lawsuit was filed by A Better Balance, a nonprofit advocacy group focused on workers' rights. The complaint seeks back pay and benefits, punitive damages, and an injunction to bar discrimination against pregnant employees.
Amazon issued a response through spokesperson Kelly Nantel, who said the company provides pregnancy-related accommodations to tens of thousands of employees each year and approved more than 99.9% of requests in the most recent year. Nantel added that "Ensuring the health and well-being of our employees is one of our greatest responsibilities," and said the four plaintiffs' accounts "contain inaccuracies and omit important details."
The new civil suit follows similar legal actions. The filing comes 11 months after New Jersey brought a suit alleging widespread discrimination at Amazon affecting warehouse employees with disabilities and those who were pregnant. New York State had also filed a complaint against the company in 2022. A spokesperson for New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said the state's case remains active after a Superior Court judge on July 31 denied Amazon's motion to dismiss.
In addition to allegations about workplace practices and discipline, the complaint outlines a claim that Amazon improperly requests medical documentation from employees seeking accommodation, a practice the plaintiffs say is unlawful under applicable federal and state law.
As stated in the complaint, the plaintiffs are pursuing monetary relief for lost wages and benefits, punitive damages intended to penalize the company, and court-ordered changes that would prevent future discrimination against pregnant workers.
Amazon is identified in the complaint as one of the largest private employers in the United States, with 1.58 million full-time and part-time employees at the end of 2025, second only to Walmart. The lawsuit does not seek to add new factual allegations beyond those in the filing, and the public statements quoted in this report come from the complaint and the company spokesperson's response as described above.
Legal posture and next steps
The proposed class action is now pending in federal court in Brooklyn. The complaint's allegations will be subject to the court's evaluation, including any motions challenging the sufficiency of the claims. Separately, the New Jersey state lawsuit continues to advance after the denial of Amazon's request to dismiss that case.