In a lengthy legal battle, hundreds of female prison guards in California are fighting for their rights against the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). Their contention? The denial of reasonable accommodations or lighter duties during pregnancy without facing demotions or pay cuts.
Lia McKeown has worked for 16 years at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville, a medium security male prison for elderly and chronically ill inmates. As a correctional officer at the prison, McKeown says despite enduring punches, kicks, and even having feces thrown at her as part of her job, she never expected such treatment while pregnant.
It was during McKeown’s second pregnancy she says she was informed of a policy change.
“There was no accommodation, there was no putting you anywhere.” said McKeown. “You would have to kind of basically figure out a way to go hide yourself.”
In 2015, McKeown’s employer, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation replaced a pregnancy accommodation policy that allowed pregnant staff to take on lighter duties during pregnancy.
McKeown says she continued working 16-hour shifts, while carrying a 15-pound work belt around her waist. To minimize contact with inmates she moved to first watch, also known as the prison’s night shift.
But in 2018, when McKeown, who had decided to continue growing her family, was pregnant again she says she was asked to perform an emergency cell entry and search an inmate’s cell. When she moved a heavy locker, a place where inmates commonly hide drugs, she says she felt a sharp pain.
“I thought I just kind of tweaked my back. But it ended up, I ended up miscarrying,” said McKeown.
McKeown and nearly 300 other women are now plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit against CDCR alleging discrimination, retaliation, and the denial of pregnancy disability rights. Multiple correctional officers claim they suffered miscarriages and lost wages due to the abrupt change in the policy.
Link: California female prison guards sue employer over denied accommodations – NBC Bay Area
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