Company Terminated Financial Analyst Due to Pregnancy, Federal Agency Charged

MIAMI – Arubaanse Luchtvaart Maatschhappij Nv, Inc., doing business as Aruba Airlines, will pay $75,000 to settle a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

According to EEOC’s lawsuit, Aruba Airlines violated federal law when a pregnant employee in its Miami corporate office was terminated soon after announcing her pregnancy.

Such alleged conduct violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which prohibits discrimination based on pregnancy. The EEOC filed its lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, Miami Division (EEOC v. Arubaanse Luchtvaart Maatschhappij Nv, Inc. d/b/a Aruba Airlines, No. 1:23-cv-20597, after first attempting to reach a settlement through its conciliation process.

In addition to paying $75,000 in monetary relief, the four-year consent decree states that should Aruba Airlines resume its U.S. operations, it will adopt and enforce a policy against discrimination based on pregnancy. It will provide anti-discrimination and anti-retaliation training to human resources personnel, managers, and employees to ensure employees are aware of their rights and complaint procedures and management and human resources personnel are aware of their obligations to prevent workplace discrimination and how to address complaints. The decree also requires Aruba Airlines to provide EEOC with reports of any complaints of pregnancy discrimination and describe its actions taken in response to each complaint.

“We commend Aruba Airlines for working collaboratively with EEOC to resolve this lawsuit,” said EEOC Regional Attorney Robert Weisberg. “The company’s willingness to address the EEOC’s concerns and its agreement to implement preventative measures and train management and human resources personnel on how to address complaints of pregnancy discrimination will benefit its workers and the company.”

“The failure by employers to effectively address pregnancy discrimination in the workplace remains a persistent problem,” said EEOC Miami District Director Evangeline Hawthorne. “The commitment by Aruba Airlines to address this problem by taking strong, affirmative measures will help ensure equal opportunity for employees.”

EEOC advances opportunity in the workplace by enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. The Miami District Office’s jurisdiction includes Florida, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands. Further information is available at www.eeoc.gov.