On September 28th we reported that the EEOC just sued two companies alleging pregnancy discrimination — clearly signaling that this type of discrimination is on their radar.  One company, Muskegon River Youth Home in Michigan, had policies in place which required a woman to immediately notify the company once she learned that she was pregnant, and required her to produce a certification from her doctor that she is capable of continuing to work.

We noted earlier that company policies are great and desirable — but that they cannot be discriminatory, as this one seemed to be!
 

Today, the EEOC announced a settlement of its suit against Muskegon River Youth Home.  The Home agreed to a 10-year consent decree requiring it (1) to rescind its pregnancy policy, (2) not require employees to inform the company when they become pregnant, (3) not require employees to wait 30 days after pregnancy before coming back to work or to provide medical statements regarding the employees’ continued ability to work, and (4) conduct training on pregnancy discrimination and periodically provide reports to the EEOC.
 

The EEOC stated that "This employer should be commended for resolving this case at this juncture."
 

It seems that the EEOC is very eager to resolve its charges and cases as early as possible, and its warm and fuzzy press releases which praise such settlements are the carrots to the lawsuits’ sticks.