Company to pay $55k to pregnant worker

BRIEFS

Acting Attorney General lohn I. Hoffman and the Division on Civil Rights announced last week that Trane U.S. Inc. in Trenton, a subsidiary of Inger soil Rand, has agreed to pay $55,000 to former employee Charnelle Gilliard after wrongfully terminating her employment due to doctor-prescribed medical leave during the final weeks of pregnancy.

Trane also must pay $15,000 to the Division on Civil Rights and implement a number of reforms, including creation of a written policy stating that medical leave for pregnancy will be treated as any other medical condition or disability.

The policy must include eligibility for leave from work without being required to answer additional questions about the pregnancy or showing proof of disability.

Trane's parent company, Ingersoll Rand, also agreed to revise its anti-discrimination policy to reflect the inclusion of pregnancy as a separate, protected class under the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination. -Meg Fry