Pregnancy Discrimination Lawyer in San Francisco

If you experienced pregnancy discrimination at a San Francisco workplace, you have strong protections under California law. We represent employees only, never employers, and offer a free, confidential consultation. 1-800-371-3088.

What Is Pregnancy Discrimination in San Francisco

San Francisco workers have an unusually strong stack of pregnancy protections. California Pregnancy Disability Leave (PDL) under Cal. Government Code section 12945 provides up to 4 months of job-protected leave for pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition - applies to employers with 5 or more employees. California Family Rights Act (CFRA) bonding leave under Cal. Government Code section 12945.2 adds up to 12 weeks of job-protected bonding leave (also at 5+ employees). Federal FMLA (29 U.S.C. section 2612) adds another 12 workweeks but only at employers with 50+ employees within 75 miles. San Francisco's Paid Parental Leave Ordinance (PPLO) (SF Police Code Article 33H; employers with 20+ workers worldwide) requires employers to supplement California Paid Family Leave benefits up to 100% of an employee's normal weekly pay during the bonding-leave period.

San Francisco Industries Where Pregnancy Claims Are Most Common

• Tech workers - at Salesforce, Uber, Lyft, OpenAI, X/Twitter, Airbnb, Block, Pinterest, Reddit, Stripe, and LinkedIn.
• Healthcare workers - at UCSF, CPMC/Sutter, Kaiser SF, Dignity Health Saint Francis and St. Mary's, Chinese Hospital, and ZSFG. Hospital workers often face accommodation denials for lifting, standing, or shift restrictions during pregnancy.
• Financial-services workers - at Wells Fargo, Charles Schwab, Visa, BlackRock, Bank of the West, and First Republic / JPMorgan. Pregnancy and caregiver discrimination is a recurring issue.
• Hospitality workers - at Hilton Union Square, Marriott Marquis, Hyatt Regency Embarcadero, Fairmont, Westin St. Francis, Four Seasons, and Ritz-Carlton.
• Public-sector workers - at the City and County of San Francisco, SFUSD, SFMTA, BART, CCSF, and UCSF.

San Francisco City Protections

SF stacks several city ordinances on top of California pregnancy law. The SF Paid Parental Leave Ordinance (PPLO) (SF Police Code Article 33H) requires SF employers with 20+ workers worldwide to supplement California PFL up to 100% of normal weekly pay for up to 8 weeks of bonding leave. The SF Family Friendly Workplace Ordinance (FFWO) (SF Administrative Code Chapter 12Z) requires SF employers with 20+ employees to consider written requests from caregivers for flexible or predictable schedules. The SF Lactation in the Workplace Ordinance (SF Police Code Article 33A) requires every SF employer to provide a dedicated lactation space meeting specific standards (private, clean, near a sink with running water, with refrigeration access) - stricter than California Labor Code sections 1030-1034 and the federal PUMP Act (29 U.S.C. section 218d).

California Law

For the full California framework, including PDL, CFRA, federal FMLA, lactation accommodation, and reasonable accommodation for pregnancy-related disability, see our California employment law page.

What Compensation Can You Recover

Back pay, front pay, reinstatement, emotional-distress damages, punitive damages, and attorneys' fees and costs (Cal. Government Code section 12965(c)). California does not cap FEHA damages. For unpaid PFL supplements under the SF PPLO, the SF Office of Labor Standards Enforcement (OLSE) has enforcement authority. For details, see our California employment law page.

How to File a Pregnancy Discrimination Claim in San Francisco

State FEHA charges go to the CRD - statewide intake (800) 884-1684. Federal charges go to the EEOC San Francisco District Office, 450 Golden Gate Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102. SF PPLO complaints go to the SF Office of Labor Standards Enforcement (OLSE), City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 430. Civil suits are heard at the Civic Center Courthouse, 400 McAllister Street, San Francisco, CA 94102 (Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco). Call us at 1-800-371-3088 before any deadline.