Pregnant and Parent fast food workers aren’t being told their rights on the job

When management at El Pollo Loco refused to put Sophia Lopez back on the schedule after she recovered from her C-section, she and her husband fell behind on rent and found themselves on the brink of homelessness with their new baby Thiago and two-year-old daughter Maddison.

“My coworkers went on strike to demand management at El Pollo Loco give me my job back. No one should have to go on strike to help a coworker get their job back after having a baby,” says Sophia.

Workers in California’s fast food industry experience frequent violations of workplace rights related to their reproductive health and wellbeing. Workers often report being denied time off for prenatal care, being forced to return to work before they have healed from childbirth, having their hours slashed, or being pushed out of their jobs due to pregnancy or childbirth. The consequences of these violations can be grave, plunging workers into – or deeper into – poverty at a vulnerable time in their lives, and jeopardizing their families’ health. While California has robust legal protections in place meant to protect the wellbeing and financial stability of pregnant workers and new parents, many fast food workers are unaware of their rights and the protections these laws provide to workers.