Lawsuit: New Mom Was Pushed Out of Job

A former Glendale (Colo.) police dispatcher has filed a lawsuit against the agency alleging that after the birth of her daughter, she was not allowed to take breaks to use a breast pump, was ridiculed by other employees and eventually had her work hours eliminated, essentially ending her employment. The lawsuit was filed Monday by Katie Falk, and relates to her pregnancy in mid-2010. Falk was a two-year veteran at GPD, and anticipated returning to work soon after her baby was born. She consulted with her supervisors about using a breast pump when she returned to work, and was allegedly told her she would have to use the pump while she worked at the console. When she did return to work, she was assigned the night shift, which did not have sufficient staffing to allow breaks away from the console. Despite her continued requests for needed breaks, her direct supervisors ignored her and her pleas to higher-level management were not acted upon. The lawsuit states that eventually the city’s human resources director told her she would not be given any more work shifts until she had weaned her daughter. By late Nov. 2010 she had been “constructively discharged,” the lawsuit claims. Falk is asking for back pay, future pay and the other benefits she would have received, compensatory damages and legal fees. The city has not yet responded to the lawsuit. Download (pdf) the full lawsuit complaint for more details.