First hour: Discussing pregnancy discrimination in the workplace
Second hour: How voters and candidates can prioritize children's issues in the upcoming election
Can a woman be fired for getting pregnant? The law says no, but in the past week, thousands of women across the country have shared their own stories on social media, describing the pressure or discrimination they felt when they became pregnant. The conversation was sparked by Senator Elizabeth Warren, who has said that she lost her teaching job in the early 1970s when she started a family. This hour, we explore what the laws said then, how they’ve evolved, and what they say now. Who's protected, and when? What can employers ask of women, and what is out of bounds? We're joined by women who share their own stories, and we sit down with employment law attorneys to answer your questions. In studio:
- Sharon Stiller, partner and director of the employment law practice at Abrams, Fensterman, Fensterman, Eisman, Formato, Ferrara, Wolf & Carone, LLP
- Beth Cordello, chair of the employment law practice at Pullano & Farrow
- Kara Austin, graphic designer and marketing professional, and mother of a preschooler
- Heather Hare, senior director of corporate communications for WNED, WBFO in Buffalo and Toronto, and mother of two
Then in our second hour, Election Day is just over three weeks away. Voters have a wide range of issues that they prioritize. This hour, our guests are asking you to think about children. In particular, they're talking about children in need in our community. We discuss funding for early intervention services and preschool special education services. We also talk about challenges for child protective services. Our guests make their case for the kinds of priorities they think voters and candidates should have if they're putting kids first. In studio:
- Brigit Hurley, policy director at The Children’s Agenda
- Heather Hanson, COO at Step by Step Developmental Services, and physical therapist
- Danielle Salamone, member of Parents Helping Parents Coalition of Monroe County
- Bridget Shumway, president of Generations Child Care