Chipotle workers can request pregnancy accommodations without written forms

A Chipotle crew member does not need a written form or legal jargon to start a pregnancy accommodation request. Under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, a simple statement that a task, shift, or condition is getting harder can be enough to trigger the interactive process, and the law covers most employers with 15 or more employees.

Congress enacted the PWFA in December 2022 as Pub. L. 117-328. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission began accepting charges under it on June 27, 2023, and issued its final rule on April 15, 2024; the rule was published on April 19, 2024 and took effect on June 18, 2024. The EEOC’s final rule includes additional breaks to drink water, eat, or use the restroom, a stool to sit on while working, time off for health care appointments, temporary reassignment, temporary suspension of certain duties, and time off to recover from childbirth or a miscarriage.

For a Chipotle shift, that can mean moving a worker off heavy prep for a few weeks, limiting lifting cases, changing station assignments, or adjusting a schedule around prenatal visits or postpartum therapy appointments. A manager should not wait for a doctor’s note or insist on special words before engaging. Workers are protected from retaliation for complaining about pregnancy discrimination or PWFA violations.

High physical demands during pregnancy can include lifting heavy objects, standing for long periods, and repeatedly bending at the waist, and those demands might raise the risk of miscarriage and preterm birth. Pregnant workers may benefit from sitting during breaks and avoiding frequent stooping, overhead lifting, and standing for three hours or more. Pregnant workers can reach heat stroke or heat exhaustion sooner than non-pregnant workers because pregnancy makes it harder for the body to cool down.

Chipotle operates more than 3,200 restaurants and offers wellness benefits, paid time off, sick time, 401(k) matching, and free licensed counseling. In 2020, the company expanded paid parental leave to 12 weeks for birth moms and four weeks for new dads and adoptive parents, and covered breastmilk shipping costs during work travel. The PWFA sits on top of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978, which barred pregnancy discrimination but did not create the same direct accommodation right. The National Partnership for Women & Families says the federal law is a baseline, not the ceiling, with additional protections in 31 states, the District of Columbia, and four cities.