In Conversation: A Fellow and Alum on Working Together To Promote Justice in the Workplace

We sat down with 2020 Fellow Dana Bolger and 2023 Fellow Samantha Hunt to learn more about both their work at A Better Balance, where they advocated for accommodations and care for pregnant students and teachers, and what mentorship means to them. Read more from their conversation about how their collaboration has inspired results below.

Q: To start, can tell us a bit more about the crisis pregnant students and workers face in this country?

A: Across the country, thousands of pregnant students and workers are pushed out of their schools and their jobs. This pushout occurs when schools and workplaces fail to grant modest accommodations to help students and workers care for their pregnancies while at school or at work. 

Q: And what role does your host organization play in combating this crisis?

A: A Better Balance (ABB) has over a decade of experience advocating for pregnant workers. Our work, which stems from two separate but complementary Equal Justice Works projects, means we get to serve as steadfast advocates for pregnant and postpartum workers and students across the nation. The heart of our collaborative efforts is rooted in one shared vision: No person should have to lose their education or their job because they’re pregnant. 

Q: Dana, you were a Fellow at ABB first back in 2020. Can you tell us a bit more about your project and what you’re doing now?

A: As part of my Equal Justice Works project, I created a legal clinic at a Women, Infants, and Children (“WIC”) program in the Bronx. There, I saw firsthand the barriers pregnant workers were facing as they tried to  access the reasonable accommodations they needed to stay healthy on the job during pregnancy. For instance, employers often required workers requesting modest pregnancy accommodations to provide rigorous medical documentation, which tended to impede workers’ ability to access accommodations at all. 

Employers frequently rejected doctor’s notes over minor technicalities, forcing them to return to their health provider over and over for small clarifications—a frustrating, expensive, and time-consuming process that low-wage workers often could not afford. That experience directly informed the work to pass strong regulations through the federal Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (“PWFA”).  Because of our awareness of the problem, we were able to tackle it head on, successfully persuading the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to adopt final PWFA regulations limiting the circumstances in which employers can require medical documentation.

So to sum it up, my project provided direct legal assistance to workers, and now Samantha’s to students, so they can learn and work without compromising the health of their pregnancies. We also implement federal and state policies to make it easier for pregnant students and workers to access the accommodations they need. 

Q: Sounds like this project really paved the way for future Fellows to get involved and make a difference. Samantha, how has your work expanded upon the foundation Dana has built through her Fellowship?

A: My project expands ABB’s services to cover pregnant and postpartum students, a natural extension of our experience advocating for pregnant workers. Many helpline callers carry intersecting identities as both workers and students, and my project allows ABB to more holistically meet our clients’ needs. 

I hear from pregnant and postpartum students who face strikingly similar issues as those in the workforce: They need modest classroom accommodations so they can learn safely and comfortably while pregnant, excused absences for prenatal appointments so they can care for the health of their pregnancies, and support as they recover from childbirth and return to school. Our student-facing work aims to remove barriers to educational access and help students feel supported at school so they can learn in an environment free from discrimination and harassment. This work, in turn, helps students meet their educational goals and pursue more opportunities once they enter the workforce.

To learn more about Dana’s work, click here. Dana is now senior associate at Katz Banks Kumi. To learn more about Samantha’s project, click here.