Pittsburgh ordinance bars employers from discriminating against workers who are domestic-abuse victims

Employers in Pittsburgh are no longer allowed to discriminate against employees because they have been victims of domestic abuse.

Some victims of domestic violence have faced employment discrimination “based on the perception they will cause a threat to public welfare or create a breach of peace,” according to the ordinance adopted Tuesday by City Council.

The ordinance adds to the city’s existing policy that domestic abuse victims cannot be discriminated against in housing, said Councilwoman Erika Strassburger, who sponsored the bill. The legislation was introduced in mid-November.

The measure allows anyone who feels they have been discriminated against at work because they are a victim of domestic abuse to file a complaint through the Commission on Human Relations.

Victims of domestic violence may need extra time off work because of court hearings or injuries, said Nicole Molinaro, president and CEO of the Women’s Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh. Some victims have to contend with abusive partners or exes who stalk them at work or threaten their co-workers.

For those reasons, about half of the women who seek help from the Women’s Center and Shelter as they leave abusive relationships report having faced discriminatory issues at the workplace, Molinaro said, and many have lost at least one job due to domestic violence.

The measure is an effort to ensure individuals facing domestic abuse aren’t also in jeopardy of losing their jobs, or missing opportunities for promotions or raises, Strassburger said. It shows that the city is supportive of individuals trying to leave those relationships, she said.

Molinaro said she was hopeful it could also spark a shift in workplace culture and motivate employers to be resources for victims of domestic violence.

National statistics show that about one in four women and one in seven men will experience domestic abuse.

The legislation earned support from community organizations like the Women’s Center and Shelter and the Center for Victims — where Stephanie Fox, the project manager for a new domestic violence shelter project and a former abuse victim who lost jobs because of domestic violence, said it’s a key step to ensure employers aren’t “revictimizing the victim.”

City Council members present at Tuesday’s meeting unanimously approved the measure without discussion. Councilman Corey O’Connor was not at Tuesday’s meeting.