Hobby Lobby Employee Claims She Was Fired Because Of Pregnancy

Another reason not to like Hobby Lobby.

hobby lobby
(Image credit: Getty Images)

After the recent Supreme Court ruling, we're all aware that Hobby Lobby isn't exactly the most friendly company when it comes to women's rights (and our healthcare). But this latest allegation has baffled us. Three years ago, former Hobby Lobby employee Felicia Allen was fired from her job at the company after she took unpaid time off from her job at the arts-and-crafts store to have her baby. Even worse, she says that Hobby Lobby told her that she'd get her job back after she had the baby (you know, so she could provide for her child—the one that Hobby Lobby argues has the right to be born), but this offer never came to fruition. You'd think that after losing her job, at least Allen would have unemployment benefits, right? Not the case, she claims. And there was no way out: due to Hobby Lobby's enforcement of binding arbitration agreements, Allen couldn't take her issues to courts.

For a company that claims to protect the unborn, this seems like a strange move.

Diana Pearl
Editor

I'm an Associate Editor at the Business of Fashion, where I edit and write stories about the fashion and beauty industries. Previously, I was the brand editor at Adweek, where I was the lead editor for Adweek's brand and retail coverage. Before my switch to business journalism, I was a writer/reporter at PEOPLE.com, where I wrote news posts, galleries and articles for PEOPLE magazine's website. My work has been published on TheAtlantic.com, ELLE.com, MarieClaire.com, PEOPLE.com, GoodHousekeeping.com and in Every Day with Rachael Ray. It has been syndicated by Cosmopolitan.com, TIME.com, TravelandLeisure.com and GoodHousekeeping.com, among other publications. Previously, I've worked at VOGUE.com, ELLE.com, and MarieClaire.com.