Barnard College is accused of laying off a custodian who is eight months pregnant to avoid paying her maternity leave, in violation of her union contract, her union leaders said on Wednesday.
Bronx woman Shakira Zahiruddin, 32, had been working at the all-women’s institution on Manhattan’s Upper West Side until August 26 when she was suddenly sacked via email.
Zahiruddin said she is now left without income or health coverage for herself, her two children, and her unborn baby, adding that her medical benefits expired six days after her firing.
“As anyone can understand, this is a very hard moment for my family and I,” Zahiruddin said at a press conference in Downtown Brooklyn. “I’m left with nothing. What am I going to do now?… It’s not fair. It’s very unjust and inhumane.”
The single mother said she was fired because of her pregnancy. “I wasn’t let go because I didn’t do my job properly, or I was incompetent. No, I was let go because of my pregnancy. No one wants to deal with the cost of that, and that’s not fair, that I have to suffer.”
According to a grievance filed by her union, TWU Local 264, the union contract states that layoffs should be based on seniority, but Zahiruddin was more senior than a male worker who was not asked to go. Zahiruddin was hired on April 6, 2024, while the male worker began on July 29, 2024, according to union leaders.
“The tyrannical and irresponsible decision making made by Barnard is unacceptable, and we will continue to voice our outrage against this, these union-busting tactics that Barnard has imposed and putting their bottom line and cost savings above human decency and fiduciary responsibilities,” Local 264 President Joseph Rose said.
Zahiruddin was one of 77 employees to be laid off in recent months, Rose added.
A spokesperson for Barnard said the layoffs were part of a “one-time, College-wide restructuring,” adding that any layoffs affecting TWU employees were determined by the union’s contract and followed seniority rules.
“Barnard prides itself on being a fair, respectful workplace and fully complies with all employment laws, including those for pregnant employees,” the spokesperson said, according to Pix11.
Union officials said Zahiruddin was urged to apply for another open position, which would make her a probationary employee with lower pay and no maternity leave.
In the grievance filed on Zahiruddin’s behalf, union leaders said they want her to be fully reinstated with no loss of pay or benefits and leave time.
