O’Reilly Auto Parts is cutting a $5.6 million check to more than 50 current and former Washington employees after the state hammered out a consent decree over allegations the company systematically shut down pregnancy and nursing accommodations at its stores and at a Puyallup distribution center. The payout caps a multi year investigation and a lawsuit the Attorney General filed in August 2023.
The agreement, announced March 4 by the Washington Attorney General’s Office, resolves claims that managers routinely refused basic pregnancy related adjustments such as letting employees sit, assigning lighter duties, or allowing flexible restroom or pumping breaks, and that some supervisors retaliated against workers who asked for help, the office said. “In Washington, employers must provide accommodations to pregnant and postpartum employees to protect their health and their babies,” Attorney General Nick Brown said in a statement, according to the Washington Attorney General’s Office.
Records released during the probe show at least 134 pregnancy accommodation requests in Washington between January 2019 and February 2023, and prosecutors said at least 22 women reported physical, emotional or financial harm tied to O’Reilly’s practices, as reported by The Seattle Times. Under the consent decree, the $5.6 million fund will be split among more than 50 workers the state identified as harmed, according to KHQ…