NYC Transit Employees Allege Sex Discrimination in Contraception Coverage

July 19, 2006 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - New York City's transit union filed a federal lawsuit against the city's Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), charging that the agency discriminates against female employees by not covering female contraception.

The US District Court lawsuit that MTA workers filed in New York on Tuesday charged that the agency does not cover female contraception even though it does pay for men’s Viagra, according to a news report on the CBS Radio Web site.

The transport agency finally agreed to the coverage change late last year after a decade of disagreement. MTA agreed to it during the last round of contract talks, which broke down, causing a citywide strike. Union members are now working without a contract and without the contraception benefit, the news report indicated.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ruled April 20 that the MTA did not violate civil rights laws but still allowed the lawsuit to continue.

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