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My wife is a dispatcher for the local police
department and one of the requirements of her
job is that she wear a uniform that is provided
to her by the city.This was never an issue until
she became pregnant. Now that she is starting
to show, her uniform no longer fits; in fact, it's down right uncomfortable
for her. She asked if she could wear her maternity clothes to work and was
originally told yes; however, now they are telling her she must wear the
uniform.When she complained to her boss that
the uniform didn't fit, he suggested she wear
a larger size. Obviously this won't work, and
in fact, when she did try on a larger uniform
she looked downright ridiculous. The best image
I can give you is to imagine a five-year-old
playing dress up in her mom's clothes.
My feeling
is that he is not only being insensitive,
but he is also discriminating against her because
she is pregnant. Since the city provides
uniforms for all of it's officers and dispatchers,
shouldn't they be obligated to provide her with
a maternity uniform that will accommodate her
pregnancy, but also fit the rest of her? If not,
can they make her wear clothes that obviously
do not fit and could even cause complications
in her pregnancy?
It's my belief that in the
male-dominated world of law enforcement there
is little sympathy or respect for women in
general, let alone pregnant women. This whole
episode has been extremely upsetting to both
of us. We lost our first baby due to miscarriage,
so you can imagine that we have been on pins
and needles now that our second is on the way.
Can you tell us what our rights are in a situation
like this?
Thank you,
Scott
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Dear Scott -
I certainly think that the police dept. has an
obligation to provide uniforms for all of its employees
-- including those who are pregnant. I'm not sure
that there is enough for any sort of legal suit,
but there is certainly some requirement that police
forces do not discriminate against their employees,
including those who are pregnant. I suggest that
you contact some police forces in the surrounding
area and see what they have done for their pregnant
employees, so that you have this precedent.
Thanks,
-- Amy
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