Roundy’s Supermarket Inc., the Milwaukee-based operator of Pick ‘n Save and Metro Market stores, unlawfully fired a cake decorator after offering insufficient accommodations to pump breastmilk, a new federal lawsuit alleges.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a complaint March 23 claiming Roundy’s refused to offer adequate pregnancy-related accommodations to an employee at a Metro Market store in Shorewood Hills, near Madison.
When the employee continued her requests for accommodation, the lawsuit said, Roundy’s demanded access to private medical information and later fired her.
Roundy’s didn’t immediately respond to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s request for comment.
The former employee, a cake decorator, returned to work at a Madison Pick ‘n Save location in June 2024 after taking maternity leave earlier that year. The worker requested breaks to pump breast milk and a water bottle at her workstation to maintain milk supply, the lawsuit says.
Management approved both accommodations, according to the lawsuit.
Later that month, the employee was transferred to a Metro Market store in Shorewood Hills.
Trouble starts with new store assignment
She resubmitted her accommodation requests but was denied a water bottle at her workstation. She was instead allowed to store a water bottle in a manager’s office that was frequently locked, the lawsuit says.
On July 3, 2024, the store manager noticed the employee with a water bottle near her workstation and told her to remove it, citing company policy. The employee then submitted a copy of her accommodation request and doctor’s supporting letter.
After reviewing the documents, the human resources manager said her request couldn’t proceed without giving Roundy’s access to private medical records, the lawsuit says.
The employee declined, citing invasion of her privacy, and was seen again with a water bottle at her workstation. When she refused to remove it, the store manager placed her on unpaid suspension and later fired her.
The lawsuit says Roundy’s violated the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which bars employers from firing workers due to their need for pregnancy-related accommodations.
It also alleged the supermarket chain violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by demanding access to an employee’s private medical records without sufficient justification.
“Providing a nursing mother with access to water is a simple, commonsense measure that supports both maternal and infant health,” acting EEOC general counsel Catherine Eschbach said, in a statement. “No worker should be forced to choose between her job and safely breastfeeding her child.”
The commission filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin after first trying to reach a settlement.
Roundy’s, a subsidiary of Cincinnati-based Kroger Co., operates nearly 150 Pick ‘n Save, Metro Market and Mariano’s Fresh Market stores in Wisconsin and Illinois.
Francesca Pica can be reached at fpica@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Roundy’s fired cake decorator who asked for breastfeeding accommodation, lawsuit says
Reporting by Francesca Pica, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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