Young v. United Parcel Service

Young v. United Parcel Service

Argued December 3, 2014
Decided March 25, 2015
Full case name Peggy Young, Petitioner v. United Parcel Service, Inc.
Docket nos. 12-1226
Citations

575 U.S. ___ (more)

Court membership
Case opinions
Majority Breyer, joined by Roberts, Ginsburg, Sotomayor, Kagan
Concurrence Alito
Dissent Scalia, joined by Kennedy, Thomas
Dissent Kennedy
Laws applied
Pregnancy Discrimination Act; Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990

Young v. United Parcel Service, 575 U.S. ___ (2015), is a United States Supreme Court case regarding pregnancy discrimination.

Background

In 1978, the United States Congress passed the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, amending Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to "prohibit sex discrimination on the basis of pregnancy," as a direct response to the Court's ruling in General Electric Company v. Gilbert.

In 2006, Peggy Young was working as a delivery driver for United Parcel Service when she requested time off in order to undergo in vitro fertilization.[1] After becoming pregnant, Young's doctors advised her that "she should not lift more than 20 pounds during the first 20 weeks of her pregnancy or more than 10 pounds thereafter."[2] United Parcel Service (UPS) requires that delivery drivers be able to lift parcels up to 70 pounds (150 pounds with assistance).[2]

Opinion of the Court

In a 6–3 decision, the Court held that the case was vacated and remanded to the Fourth Circuit. Justice Stephen Breyer authored the majority opinion.[2]

The Court took a compromise position.[3] It ruled, according to the Washington Post, that, "[a] worker making a claim that her company intentionally treated her differently due to her pregnancy must show that she sought an accommodation, her company refused and then granted accommodations to others suffering from similar restrictions. The company, in turn, can try to show that its reasons were legitimate — but not because it is more expensive or less convenient to add pregnant women to the categories of workers who are accommodated."[4]

References

  1. ↑ "Young v. United Parcel Service, Inc. | The Oyez Project at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law". Retrieved 2015-04-05.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Slip opinion from Young v. United Parcel Service". Retrieved 2015-04-05.
  3. ↑ "Opinion analysis: Fashioning a remedy for pregnancy bias". Retrieved 2015-04-05.
  4. ↑ Barnes, Robert. "Justices revive case claiming UPS discriminated against pregnant worker". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2015-03-26.

External links