ORDINANCE
WHEREAS, the City of Chicago is a home rule unit government pursuant to the 1970 Illinois Constitution, Article VII, Section 6(a); and
WHEREAS, pursuant to its home rule power, the City of Chicago may exercise any power and perform any function relating to its government and affairs, including the power to regulate for the protection of the public health, safety, morals, and welfare; and
WHEREAS, as of January 1, 2015, employers in Illinois must provide pregnant workers who request them more or longer bathroom breaks, rest periods, light duty, job transfers, leave time or other accommodations, unless doing so creates an undue hardship for the employer; and
WHEREAS, the Illinois General Assembly concluded that current workplace laws are inadequate to protect pregnant workers from enjoying equal employment opportunities; and
WHEREAS, it found that women are nearly 50% of all workers in Illinois and failing to provide reasonable accommodations to pregnant women leads to lost wages, periods of unemployment, and lost employment opportunities and job benefits such as seniority, all of which have lifelong repercussions on women's economic security and advancement and the well-being of their families; and
WHEREAS, by continuing to work during pregnancy, women can maintain and advance their economic security; and
WHEREAS, women who work during pregnancy may be able to take a longer period of leave following childbirth, which in turn facilitates breastfeeding, bonding with and caring for a new child, and recovering from childbirth; and
WHEREAS, enabling pregnant workers to work through pregnancy is good for business because providing pregnant employees with reasonable, temporary accommodations increases worker productivity, retention, and morale, decreases retraining costs, and reduces health care costs associated with pregnancy complications; and
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Chicago intends to ensure full and equal participation for women in t...
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