LISTEN: U.S. Steel Accused of Forcing Pregnant Worker Into Dangerous Jobs

U.S. Steel faces a lawsuit from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) after the company allegedly took unlawful action against a pregnant worker who suffered a miscarriage after months of work assignments inconsistent with her doctor’s restrictions. The complaint claims that U.S. Steel violated the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act by failing to provide the employee with “reasonable accommodations.” The commission noted that the individual began working for U.S. Steel in 2012 and, since about 2018, had worked as a mobile equipment operator at the company’s Minntac mine near Mountain Iron, Minnesota. The suit added that she typically operated a cleanup loader and served as a “fill-in” team lead leading up to her pregnancy around August 2023.The worker informed her immediate coworkers about her pregnancy around August and, later, her shift manager in October. She provided a doctor’s note that said she could not operate heavy machinery, tracked vehicles or production trucks for the rest of the pregnancy. U.S. Steel allegedly responded by placing her on short-term sickness and accident leave for about a month without consulting her, while work within her restrictions reportedly remained available.