10 Career and Business Opportunities


CBCF Fellowships Include Small Business and Entrepreneurship


fellowship


Through the CBCF’s 20-month programs,


work with congressional members and committees, attend development community


service fellows gain invaluable Fellows are paid an annual salary


seminars, complete projects


participants leadership and


produce policy papers. During their first placement,


experience


as they assist in the development of legislative and public policy initiatives within Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) member offices. Fellows work 40 hours per week on a range of staff assignments: legislative


analysis,


responding to constituent mail, drafting talking points and speeches for members,


and


logistics and public testimony for congressional


hearings.


coordinating During


the second half of their program, fellows transition to a congressional committee, which complements their experience in a member’s office and provides them with a full view of the legislative process.


programs: The CBCF offers four fellowship


Women in Health Sciences Leadership Donald M. Payne Foreign Policy


neurship Fellowship Each fellowship


together individuals


Fellowship Small


Congressional Fellowship Congressional Fellowship on


Business and Entrepre- cohort


brings with diverse


interests in policy areas in order to complement and enrich the experiences of all program participants.


of $40,000 plus benefits. Participants must reside in or relocate to the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area and are responsible for their own travel,


housing, and other living


expenses. Testimonials from Past CBCF


Fellows: my


“Moving forward, I hope that newfound


understanding of


Capitol Hill will help me to affect public policy on a local level in my hometown of Atlanta, Georgia. I recently


companies to the city heard that Mayor Kasim


Reed and his administration are researching the technology sector, possibly with the aim of attracting tech


and


retaining those already there. Should this project become a reality in the near future, I believe that I could be a valuable asset as a direct result of my intellectual property and tele- communications policy background as a CBCF Fellow.” Thomas Cuffie, Science and


Technology Fellow,


2012-2014. “During my remaining time on


the Hill, I hope to learn more about the Executive budget process and implement a successful policy forum on disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration


(DDR) processes in


Africa.” Janelle Johnson, Inaugural Donald M. Payne Foreign Policy Fellow, 2012-2014.


For more information on CBCF


fellowships or to apply visit cbcfinc. org.


BY NWLC.ORG East St. Louis, Illinois— In a


victory for the plaintiffs, a federal judge ruled today that a class action lawsuit brought by two former Walmart employees who alleged that they experienced pregnancy discrimination while working at Walmart could proceed to the next stage of litigation. Te lawsuit claims the retail giant discriminated against thousands of pregnant


women


across the country. A Better Balance, the National Women’s Law Center, Mehri & Skalet, and Sedey Harper & Westhoff represent the employees and the proposed class.


In 2013, Talisa Borders became


pregnant while working at a Walmart in O’Fallon, Illinois. Aſter requesting to stay off tall ladders and avoid heavy liſting, she was pushed onto unpaid leave. On the other side of the country, in 2013, Otisha Woolbright became pregnant while working at a Walmart in Jacksonville, Florida. She also needed an accommodation for heavy liſting, but Walmart denied her request and ultimately fired her. Tese two examples were not isolated incidents. Walmart had a written accommodation policy that explicitly excluded pregnancy while providing accommodations for workers with disabilities and on-the-job injuries.


In July 2017, Walmart sought to


toss the claims levied against them, filing two motions to dismiss and arguing


that the employees’ legal


claims were not specific enough to be violations of the law and also that the company could not be sued in Illinois. Judge Michael Reagan, Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of Illinois, dismissed both of Walmart’s motions and found in the employees’ favor on both challenges. Te Court determined that


the employees had


met their burden in detailing their claims of pregnancy discrimination and retaliation, citing details from the complaint, including specific actions that harmed the workers and statistics


showing that pregnant workers are treated differently. Moreover,


Judge


Reagan found that Walmart can be held to account in Illinois, as it is the largest employer in the state, and does more business and collects more taxes there than in nearly any other state.


“We are thrilled with this huge


victory for our clients. Judge Reagan saw through Walmart’s transparent attempts to dodge responsibility, and we look forward to holding the company accountable


Volume 12 Number 7


April 2018


Walmart Must Face Pregnancy Discrimination Class Action


for


their unlawful actions of pushing pregnant workers out when they need income the most,” said Dina Bakst, Co-Founder & Co-President of A Better Balance. “Our clients look forward to telling their stories and ensuring that no pregnant worker is forced to go through what they have at Walmart.”


“Tis opinion confirms that


it’s unacceptable for employers to discriminate against employees for being pregnant or asking for accommodations,” said Sunu Chandy, Legal Director at the National Women’s Law Center. “Te court affirmed that employers like Walmart can’t retaliate against their employees who request a pregnancy accommodation or time off for medical reasons, which are indeed protected activities under the law. We are pleased that this opinion allows us to proceed with claims demonstrating how Walmart discriminated against Ms. Borders, Ms. Woolbright and other women in the class. We look forward to working with our co-counsel achieve


to continue litigation to improvements for women


and their families and compensation for the women who were harmed by Walmart’s discriminatory policies.”


and compensate these employees for their losses,” said Ellen Eardley, a partner at the law firm Mehri & Skalet, PLLC. “It’s time Walmart stops discriminating against its pregnant employees and treating them like second-class citizens.”


“Walmart must right its wrongs


Bid Notice: SWAM and Veteran Owned Businesses


SB Ballard Construction Company would like to invite contractors to bid on the EVMS Renovation to Hofheimer Hall project (Due on April 13, 2018 at 2:00 PM) .


Please contact Candy Hennig with any question or to access the bid documents at chennig@sbballard.com.


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