Discrimination Suit Settled

By George Anderson


Albertsons has settled a suit, which alleged the grocery chain discriminated against female employees by excluding prescription contraceptives from the company’s health care plan.


The Arizona Republic reports the settlement is Albertsons’ formal agreement to provide birth-control pills and other prescribed contraceptives as part of its coverage. The chain has been offering this benefit since June.


Josh Konecky, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said, “This is a basic health need that’s borne by women and to deny it is a form of discrimination. The trend is for employers to cover their female workers. . . . Albertson’s has done the right thing here. They’ve created a workplace that’s going to take care of its employees.”


Moderator’s Comment: Do you agree? Does the exclusion of prescribed contraceptives from a medical plan represent sexual discrimination?


Albertsons obviously concluded that even if it did not believe itself guilty of discrimination, it was less expensive to settle than to fight the suit.
[George
Anderson – Moderator
]

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