I don’t compliment Congressman Cline here very often, but I did give him credit last September for voting in the House for the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.
Never mind. I take it back.
The bill on which Cline voted AYE passed the House in the last session of Congress, but was not acted on in the Senate. So the House sponsors reintroduced it this year.
But when the bill came up for a vote in the current session, as I reported, Cline voted NO.
What I didn’t realize until now is that that the bill Cline voted for in September 2020 and the bill he voted against in May 2021 are word-for-word exactly the same.
See for yourself: Here is the text of the 2020 Pregnant Workers Fairness Act which Cline supported. Here is the text of the 2021 Pregnant Workers Fairness Act which Cline opposed.
The bill would require private-sector employers with 15 or more workers to make “reasonable accommodations” for pregnant employees. Those accommodations could come in the form of water and bathroom breaks, stools, or a reduction in lifting requirements.
The bill would also protect workers from retaliation after making those requests and from being forced into taking unpaid leave.
So why, between September and May, did Cline change his mind and decide that he didn’t want to protect the rights of pregnant workers after all?
Ask him. Please.
Cline Watch 