Problems at work due to lifting restrictions....

[Zamstar]

       Hello everyone!! I want to share my story in hopes someone either has any ideas of what they think I should do, or advice if any of you or anyone that you know went through the same sitiuation.

Ok. So I"m about 41/2 months pregnant and my dr. wrote me a note to bring to work saying that I should only do light duty and shouldn't lift more than 20 lbs. At my job the minimum lifting requirement is 50 lbs. But there are other things that I could do instead of lifting; paper work, running groups, activities, transporting consumers to thearpy, etc. My job of over 2 years, said I had to leave and I would have to use my time saved until they find another positon for me (if there are any) and not to get my hopes up. This is soooo frustrating. They also I would eventually loose my health insurance. Now I'm not due until August so I wanted to continue saving time and money until it was time to take maternity leave. I understand why the dr. said lifting is not a good idea- my sides and lower back have been sore all week. Ultimatley they say I have to go out on disibility and if there is a postion open, I will only be allowed to work that job for 30 days. After that, I hopefully will qualify for NYS  voulantary short term disibility and will get paid a small amount of money every week until 6 weeks after I deliver.  I'm a part time evening student in nursing school so I need the money. The only positive is, I'd be able to study more, visit family more and recieve medicade. I'm not sure if I should see if the dr. can write me a note saying I can't lift more than 50 pounds, so I can continue my stressful job.

So all this is very frustrating? Any ideas?

[EveningSunrise]

Hi Zamstar,

My due date is also in August.  I suppose if you're feeling soreness from performing your regular duties at work, then it is a good idea to make sure you're not jeopardizing your well-being or the baby's and follow the doc's orders of 40lbs or less. 

But it seems like your job would be a little more understanding of your circumstances and at least modify some of your duties, instead of making you jump through hoops.  I pray it all works out to your benefit... and you get to keep your benefits!

[Stephaniqua]

They have to make modifications for you to keep your job, as being pregnant is a medical condition. They must make all reasonable accomidations! I am in a therapy setting as well, not for work but for a clinical for school, and they have to allow time for other therapist to assist when I can not lift a heavy item or patient. They shouldn't be allowed to fire you just becasue you can't lift over 20 pounds. I would look up some law information and bring this to your bosses attention.

Sorry you are dealing with this at such a happy time in your life! I hope things work out for you.

[happylemon]

I am so sorry you have to deal with this. Your job should make accommodations, I am not sure how to go about making your boss legally aware of this, but hopefully you can figure this out. With my first I was doing geotech consulting which included lots of field work, heavy lifting and working near heavy machinery. It was not always convenient, but my boss did accommodate me. He did laugh and roll his eyes when I gave him the doctors note, but it is what it is and he did what he could. Most of it did not even fall on his shoulders, I had to approach others on the job sites to ask for help when I needed it. 

[jotilley]

I am so sorry that your place of employment of 2+ years is causing you stress. As complicated as this sounds you need to research your state laws about pregnancy in the work place. If the doctor is telling you that you can not lidt more than 20lbs then you do need a not for your hr work file, have the not faxed to you and personaly give it to who ever needs it.Sometime HR departments are unaware of state employment laws or choose not to inform you of your right in the work place. If your job does not have an HR dept. then most likely they don't know what the law states. Not every state protects a pregnant woman's job so you need to look into it. When you read the laws normally they are based off of how many people work in your office. You can message me if you need help looking it up.

[Peony]

There was a similar thread a while back in the working parents forum. Hugs to you. 

[Lynann]

I'm not too familiar with employment law here in the USA so I asked DH what he thought. His advice is to contact the Labor Board. Since you are in NYS he thinks you will have a lot of protection as a pregnant woman. He also said the Labor Board is there to advise and protect the rights of workers. He also said NYS is very pro-Union, and you should find out if there is a labor union that covers your job and find a local rep who can help you figure out what your rights actually are.

Hope this info helps.