Cal. Code Regs. tit. 2 § 11039

Current through Register 2024 Notice Reg. No. 49, December 6, 2024

Section 11039 - Responsibilities of Employers

(a) Employer Obligations

(1) Except as excused by a permissible defense, it is unlawful for any employer to:

(A) refuse to hire or employ an applicant because of pregnancy or perceived pregnancy;

(B) refuse to select an applicant or employee for a training program leading to employment or promotion because of pregnancy or perceived pregnancy;

(C) refuse to promote an employee because of pregnancy or perceived pregnancy;

(D) bar or to discharge an applicant or employee from employment or from a training program leading to employment or promotion because of pregnancy or perceived pregnancy;

(E) discriminate against an applicant or employee in terms, conditions or privileges of employment because of pregnancy or perceived pregnancy;

(F) harass an applicant or employee because of pregnancy or perceived pregnancy, as set forth in section 11036;

(G) transfer an employee affected by pregnancy over her objections to another position, except as provided in section 11041(c). Nothing in this section prevents an employer from transferring an employee for the employer's legitimate operational needs unrelated to the employee's pregnancy or perceived pregnancy;

(H) require an employee to take a leave of absence because of pregnancy or perceived pregnancy when the employee has not requested leave;

(I) retaliate, discharge, or otherwise discriminate against an applicant or employee because she has opposed employment practices forbidden under the FEHA or because she has filed a complaint, testified, or assisted in any proceeding under the FEHA; or

(J) otherwise discriminate against an applicant or employee because of pregnancy or perceived pregnancy by any practice that is prohibited on the basis of sex.

(2) Except as excused by a permissible defense, it is unlawful for any employer to:

(A) refuse to provide employee benefits for pregnancy as set forth at section 11044, if the employer provides such benefits for other temporary disabilities;

(B) refuse to maintain and to pay for coverage under a group health plan for an eligible employee who takes pregnancy disability leave, as set forth at section 11044, under the same terms and conditions that would have been provided if the employee had not taken leave;

(C) refuse to provide reasonable accommodation for an employee or applicant affected by pregnancy as set forth at section 11040;

(D) refuse to transfer an employee affected by pregnancy as set forth at section 11041;

(E) refuse to grant an employee disabled by pregnancy a pregnancy disability leave, as set forth at section 11042; or

(F) deny, interfere with, or restrain an employee's rights to reasonable accommodation, to transfer or to take pregnancy disability leave under Government Code section 12945, including retaliating against the employee because she has exercised her right to reasonable accommodation, to transfer or to take pregnancy disability leave.

(b) Permissible defenses, as defined at section 11010, include a bona fide occupational qualification, business necessity or where the practice is otherwise required by law.

Cal. Code Regs. Tit. 2, § 11039

1. Change without regulatory effect renumbering former section 7291.6 to new section 11039 and amending section and NOTE filed 10-3-2013 pursuant to section 100, title 1, California Code of Regulations (Register 2013, No. 40).
2. Amendment of subsections (a)(1)(G) and (a)(2)(A)-(E) and amendment of NOTE filed 12-9-2015; operative 4-1-2016 (Register 2015, No. 50).

Note: Authority cited: Section 12935(a), Government Code. Reference: Sections 12926, 12940 and 12945, Government Code; Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 (P.L. 95-555, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e, § 701(k)), an amendment to Title VII of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. § 2000e et seq.); Cal. Federal Sav. and Loan Ass'n v. Guerra 479 U.S. 272.