A dispute over a simple water bottle has landed Roundy's Supermarkets in federal court, with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission accusing the Milwaukee-based grocery chain of flouting pregnancy protections and then firing a worker who asked for help.
In a lawsuit filed Monday, the EEOC says a cake decorator who needed to keep a water bottle at her workstation was first allowed to do so at a Pick 'n Save store, then blocked from the same basic accommodation after she transferred to a Metro Market in Shorewood Hills in June 2024. The federal agency also alleges Roundy's tried to get access to the employee’s private medical records and chose to terminate her instead of working out another solution.
As reported by the Milwaukee Business Journal, the EEOC says the conduct violated both the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. That local reporting pulls from the agency's public announcement and the complaint filed in federal court.
What the EEOC's complaint says
According to the agency's press release, Roundy's initially allowed the worker to keep a water bottle at her station while she was employed at a Pick 'n Save in Madison. After she transferred to a Metro Market location, managers there denied the same request, the complaint states, and then asked her to sign a release granting the company access to her medical records.
The agency filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin, under Case No. 3:26-cv-00241, as detailed by the EEOC. The complaint contends that refusing the accommodation, demanding broad access to medical information, and ultimately firing the worker ran afoul of federal protections tied to pregnancy-related conditions and to disability-related privacy.
Roundy's footprint and recent history
Roundy's, which operates the Pick 'n Save and Metro Market banners and is headquartered in the Milwaukee area, is a major player in Wisconsin's grocery scene, so the case lands close to home for a lot of local shoppers and workers.
The company also has not been a stranger to regulators. Last year, it faced state scrutiny and agreed to roughly a $1 million settlement over alleged short-weight and labeling violations at stores across Wisconsin, as reported by Wausau Pilot & Review. That earlier regulatory dust-up now serves as a backdrop to the fresh civil suit from the EEOC.
Legal stakes under the PWFA
The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act took effect on June 27, 2023, and it requires employers to talk through options with workers and provide reasonable accommodations for pregnancy-related limitations when they can. The EEOC has been clear that forcing an employee onto leave when an accommodation is possible can violate the law.
“The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act ensures that pregnant workers receive reasonable accommodations needed to protect their health and remain employed,” the agency said in its statement. Employers found to have violated the PWFA or the ADA can be ordered to provide injunctive relief and other remedies under federal law, according to EEOC guidance.
The case, formally titled EEOC v. Roundy's Supermarkets, Inc., Case No. 3:26-cv-00241, is now pending in federal court, where the company will have an opportunity to respond. As first reported by the Milwaukee Business Journal, the filing is part of a broader wave of PWFA enforcement that the EEOC has pursued since the law went into effect. This story will be updated as court records or a company statement become available.
