V & B (Merry Maids) home cleaning franchise in Kenosha, Wis., will pay $40,000 and furnish other relief under a consent decree entered here by a federal court in a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit brought by the EEOC.

According to the EEOC's suit, V&B fired Belinda Sternemann because she suffered from pregnancy-related health issues. Sternemann, a military veteran who worked for V&B for over two years, was a Team Captain on one of V&B's crews and had an unblemished work record, according to the EEOC. Her pregnancy issues were alleged to be minor and did not prevent her from working.

The EEOC alleged that V&B's conduct violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended by the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA), which prohibits discrimination based on pregnancy. It also violates Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which prohibits employers from discriminating against individuals who are disabled or perceived to be disabled.

The EEOC filed suit after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process. The consent decree prohibits future discrimination and provides that V&B will pay Sternemann $40,000 and train its managers regarding employee rights and an employer's obligations under Title VII and the ADA.

Federal law assures pregnant women that they have the same right as other people to earn a living. The ADA requires employers to engage in discussions with employees they believe to be disabled before taking any action which would affect their employment rights.