Our Work – First Shift Justice Project

First Shift Justice Project’s first initiative is to empower and support pregnant women and new parents. We go to the places where women are already seeking prenatal care and provide them with the information and assistance they need to assert their workplace rights, including: the right to paid and unpaid job-protected leave; the right to paid sick days; the right to be free from discrimination and harassment on the basis of gender, pregnancy or family responsibilities; the right to reasonable accommodations; and the right to breastfeed.

Educate

First Shift partners with hospitals, medical clinics, nonprofits, and other community groups to provide Know Your Rights presentations that educate medical staff, pregnant women and new parents about legal rights in the workplace.

Empower

First Shift provides pro se legal assistance to empower women to communicate proactively with their employers in order to maintain employment.

Represent

First Shift accepts limited representation and/or refers meritorious cases, with a particular focus on cases with the potential to advance development of the law.

Collaborate

First Shift works with medical providers, policy advocates, unions and other workers’ rights and poverty organizations to expose, understand and address the specific problems faced by workers in low-wage jobs who are trapped between the demands of work and family.