More women have joined the class action lawsuit alleging discrimination against pregnant and breastfeeding AC Transit employees.

There are now four AC Transit employees who say the transportation agency discriminates and fails to accommodate pregnant women who work for them.

Nikki McNaulty is one of four women now listed in a class action lawsuit alleging pregnancy discrimination and failure to accommodate lactation needs for working mothers.

McNaulty says there is a room she was told she could use to pump breast milk when she returned to work after her first pregnancy in 2016 — an old closet she describes as dirty and that had no privacy.

“I still continue to work with AC Transit but I am no longer a bus operator, I’m a clerk because that’s the only way with expanding my family I am able to pump without being harassed,” McNaulty said.

McNaulty left her job as a bus driver and now gets paid less as an AC Transit clerk — all so that she can pump. Jada Edward still drives but says it’s not easy.

“I feel like they should have some type of policy implemented for women that’s expecting to have a baby. They make it difficult for you,” Edward said.

Edward joined the suit after she fell asleep at the wheel and crashed her bus while pregnant. She says she asked for lighter desk work prior to the accident but was not accommodated.

“I had not just me and my baby’s life at stake but the public,” Edward said.

So far, four women in total allege that AC Transit refused to accommodate their pregnancy or lactation needs and that they are in violation of their legal rights.

AC Transit told KRON4 that they work with new mothers and value the importance of women in the workforce, and that “it is important to note, modifications of duties can present logistical challenges given the nature of public transit. however, ac transit adopts an individual process that takes into account accommodation options for each new mom and her newborn throughout the first year of life.”

But some of their employees say they continue to have trouble at work.

“They leave it to where you are put into a position where you have to pick and choose your family. They do not accommodate us working mothers while we are pregnant nor when we return back to work,” McNaulty said.

For live, local news, download the KRONon app. It lets you watch commercial-free the Bay Area’s Local News Station on multiple streaming devices.

Click here to subscribe for a free 7-day trial

WHAT OTHERS ARE CLICKING ON:

>>MORE STORIES