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U.S. NEWS Tuesday 16 april 2024
New rules for Pregnant Workers Fairness Act include divisive

accommodations for abortion

By CLAIRE SAVAGE and AL- proposed rule in August for
EXANDRA OLSON a monthslong public com-
AP Business Writers mentary period. Abortion
NEW YORK (AP) — Workers rights proponents, mean-
are entitled to time off and while, applauded the provi-
other job accommoda- sion as critical at time when
tions for abortions along abortion rights have been
with pregnancy-related curtailed in many states
medical conditions like mis- following the U.S. Supreme
carriage, stillbirth and lac- Court’s 2022 decision to
tation under the Pregnant overturn Roe v. Wade. The
Workers Fairness Act, ac- EEOC is composed of three
cording to finalized federal Democratic commissioners
regulations published Mon- and two Republican com-
day. missioners.
The regulations provide Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana,
guidance for employers the lead Republican spon-
and workers on how to sor of the Pregnant Work-
implement the law, which ers Fairness Law, accused
passed with robust bipar- the Biden administration on
tisan Congressional sup- Monday of “shocking and
port in December 2022 illegal” disregard of the leg-
but sparked controversy islative process to promote
last year when the Equal An exam room is seen inside Planned Parenthood on March 10, 2023, in Fairview Heights, Ill. a political agenda.
Associated Press
Employment Opportu- The Alliance Defending
nity Commission included costs, and that the type the accommodation will Major business groups also Freedom, a conservative
abortions in its draft rules. of accommodation that cause the employer an un- supported the law, citing Christian legal organization,
The language means that most likely will be sought due hardship. the need for clarity about said the Biden administra-
workers can ask for time off under the Pregnant Work- The EEOC’s regulations, the accommodations that tion was trying to “smuggle
to obtain an abortion and ers Fairness Act regarding which will be used as a employers are required to an abortion mandate” into
recover from the proce- an abortion is time off to framework to enforce the give pregnant workers. the law.
dure.The EEOC says its de- attend a medical appoint- law, will go into effect on “No one should have to risk But in comments submitted
cision to keep the abortion ment or for recovery, which June 18. their job for their health just to the EEOC, the American
provisions in its final rules does not have to be paid. Labor advocates hailed because they are preg- Civil Liberties Union ap-
despite criticism from some The act requires most em- the new law as especially nant, recovering from child- plauded the agency for
conservatives is consistent ployers with 15 or more em- important for women of birth, or dealing with a re- “recognizing that abortion
with its own longstanding ployees to provide “reason- color who are most likely lated medical condition,” has for decades been ap-
interpretation of Title VII, able accommodations” for to work in low-wage, physi- said EEOC Chair Charlotte proved under the law as a
as well as court rulings. The a worker’s known limita- cally demanding jobs but A. Burrows on Monday. ‘related medical condition’
federal agency added that tions related to pregnancy, are often denied accom- But Republican lawmakers to pregnancy that entitles
the new law does not obli- childbirth, or related medi- modations for everything and anti-abortion activists workers to reasonable ac-
gate employers or employ- cal conditions including from time off for medical denounced the EEOC’s commodations, including
er-sponsored health plans fertility and infertility treat- appointments to the abil- inclusion of abortion after time off to obtain abortion
to cover abortion-related ments in some cases unless ity to sit or stand on the job. the agency first released its care.”q

Biden administration agrees to provide $6.4 billion to Samsung for

making computer chips in Texas

By JOSH BOAK propel Texas into a state of the art semi-
Associated Press conductor ecosystem,” Commerce Sec-
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden adminis- retary Gina Raimondo said on a call with
tration has reached an agreement to pro- reporters. “It puts us on track to hit our goal
vide up to $6.4 billion in direct funding for of producing 20% of the world’s leading
Samsung Electronics to develop a com- edge chips in the United States by the end
puter chip manufacturing and research of the decade.”
cluster in Texas. The funding announced Raimondo said she expects the project
Monday by the Commerce Department will create at least 17,000 construction jobs
is part of a total investment in the cluster and more than 4,500 manufacturing jobs.
that, with private money, is expected to Samsung’s cluster in Taylor, Texas, would
exceed $40 billion. The government sup- include two factories that would make
port comes from the CHIPS and Science four- and two-nanometer chips.
Act, which President Joe Biden signed into Also, there would be a factory dedicated
law in 2022 with the goal of reviving the to research and development, as well as
production of advanced computer chips a facility for the packaging that surrounds The logo of the Samsung Electronics Co. is seen during a media
tour at Samsung Electronics’ headquarters in Suwon, South
domestically. “The proposed project will chip components.q Korea, June 13, 2023.
Associated Press