Garland's Bouquet

A landmark Supreme Court ruling supports pregnancy leave

When she left her work as a receptionist at the California Federal Savings and Loan Association office in West Los Angeles to have her first baby, in 1982, Lillian Garland figured she would simply take a short, unpaid disability leave and return to her job, a right guaranteed by state law. But there were complications. Garland's baby girl was delivered by Cesarean section, and her doctor prescribed a three-month leave. When she returned to Cal Fed, Garland found that her position had been filled. "I didn't know what to do," she says. Unemployed and unable to pay her $550-a-month rent, Garland...

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