With Labor Day approaching, people keep talking about how summer is coming to an end. But I’m just not here for people disrespecting the seasons like this, John. It is still summer until the autumnal equinox next month, I’m wearing white whenever and wherever I feel like it, and I hope you’re holding on to whichever of summer’s pleasantries you most enjoy, too. Never let the haters get you down.

#ProtectPregnantWorkers

Most people who can get pregnant eventually do, so you’d think that workplaces would be prepared to handle this totally normal and common life event that affects more than half of the workforce, right? Yet here we are, four decades after the passage of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, still fighting for all pregnant employees to get the basic accommodations they need. Too many pregnant workers have been fired for simple things like requesting necessary bathroom breaks or asking for a stool to sit on during their shifts, jeopardizing their income at a time when their families need it most. The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) would challenge this, requiring employers to make reasonable accommodations for pregnant people at work so that no one is forced to choose between their pregnancy and a paycheck. As we head into this Labor Day weekend we’re shining a light on this critical workplace justice issue, and we hope you’ll join us.

• Tell your Representatives to support the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act!
• Read more about how the PWFA would support healthier pregnancies and gender equity in the workplace.
• Today through Monday, September 2, please follow along with us on Twitter and use your social media platforms to share these resources with the hashtag #ProtectPregnantWorkers.

Featured: Challenging Attacks on Abortion Rights in Tennessee

Heather Shumaker, a senior counsel on our Reproductive Rights and Health team, recently traveled to Tennessee to testify against state lawmakers’ attempt to ban abortion in the state. “Banning abortion would have serious repercussions for pregnant people in Tennessee,” she writes. “All of the harms imposed by abortion restrictions – and that would be amplified by this bill – fall hardest on those who already face multiple barriers to care, such as women struggling to make ends meet, women of color, rural women, LGBTQ folks, and women who already have children. So you would think the committee would want to hear from those people, right?? Not so much.” Read more about her key takeaways from this important experience.

Must-Dos:

• Hunger has nothing to do with American greatness. Yet the Trump administration’s latest proposed rule would snatch food assistance from 3 million people as well as half a million children in the school lunch line. Tell them to keep their hands off SNAP.
• On September 10, we’ll be rallying with Ultraviolet, Restaurant Opportunity Center (ROC), and survivors of workplace harassment demanding to be heard in support of the BE HEARD Act! If you’re in or near D.C. that day, please join us. And no matter where you are, tell your Representatives to support robust protections against workplace harassment and discrimination.

Must-Reads:

• From raising the minimum wage to extending protections against harassment to freelancers, here are a few key laws that are helping women at work.
• We’re proud to represent this Georgia student who was wrongfully expelled after reporting sexual assault. (CW: description of sexual assault.) If you or someone you know experienced discrimination after reporting sexual harassment, we may be able to help.
• Voter suppression and attacks on abortion rights go hand-in-hand.

Your Feminist Moment of Joy

What’s better than organizing for equal pay? Organizing for equal pay with some of our favorite soccer players! We were so excited and honored to join our friends on the U.S. Women’s National Team and TIME’S UP for a night of strategizing and community building this past Tuesday, and we’re looking forward to finding ways to bring you into this work too, John. Stay tuned…