"Laura Reyes began experiencing terrible pain on her shift at a local Burger King. She quickly went to management, saying she was very ill and needed to leave work. Management did not allow her to leave. Laura went back to work, fearing for her job, and the pain got worse and she started bleeding heavily. She told her manager she thought she might die, but was still not allowed to leave. Only after more than three hours was Laura allowed to leave work."
"At the hospital, Laura learned she was miscarrying, and later found out she had an ectopic pregnancy, which can be life-threatening. Laura missed five weeks of work to recover from surgery and regain her strength. Her employer paid her two sick days, but did not inform her about her rights to income under the state disability program, which covers pregnancy loss, and could have helped her. That's when Laura knew she and her coworkers needed to come together and take action."
"For years, Laura and her coworkers have organized to demand fair treatment, safety and respect on the job. They've endured retaliation and intimidation for speaking up. Recently, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors advanced a plan to give fast-food workers access to know your rights training - basic, life-changing information that could protect the nearly 26,000 cooks and cashiers in Santa Clara County from abuse and wage theft."
Laura Reyes experienced severe pain while working a Burger King shift and was repeatedly denied permission to leave despite heavy bleeding and stating she feared she might die. After more than three hours she was finally allowed to leave and later learned she was miscarrying and had an ectopic pregnancy. She missed five weeks of work to recover from surgery; her employer paid two sick days and did not inform her about state disability income that covers pregnancy loss. Laura and coworkers have organized for fair treatment and safety, faced retaliation, and pushed for county know-your-rights trainings for fast-food workers.
Read at San Jose Spotlight
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