Omni Baking Company faced charges of violating state law, according to the state Office of the Attorney General. The bakery fired Ashley Ruiz-Lopez last year even though she informed her employer that she planned to take maternity leave and return.
The bakery will pay Ruiz-Lopez $60,000 and pay $10,000 to the New Jersey Division of Civil Rights. It also is required to launch a new family leave policy, give anti-discrimination training to its 450 workers and agree to one year of monitoring by the division.
“An employee should not have to choose between keeping her job and raising a family” said Craig T. Sashihara, the division’s director. “New Jersey’s family leave and pregnancy protection laws were created to maintain the integrity of the family unit and help society prosper. Our commitment is to ensure that employers adhere to those laws.”