Iowa Civil Rights Act — employer coverage threshold
The employment provisions of the Iowa Civil Rights Act, including pregnancy-related disability protections, do not apply to employers who regularly employ fewer than four individuals. For purposes of this threshold, individuals who are members of the employer's family are not counted as employees. Employers who regularly employ four or more non-family employees are covered.
Source: Iowa Code § 216.6(6)(a)
Pregnancy disability leave — up to eight weeks unpaid
Employers with four or more employees must grant an unpaid leave of absence to an employee disabled by pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions for the period of disability or eight weeks, whichever is less. This obligation applies only when leave is not available or sufficient leave is not available under the employer's health insurance, temporary disability insurance, or sick leave plan. The employee must provide timely notice of the leave period requested, and any change to the requested period requires employer approval. The employer may require medical certification stating the employee is unable to reasonably perform employment duties.
Source: Iowa Code § 216.6(2)(e)
Jury duty leave — retaliation protection and employee remedies
Iowa Code § 607A.45 prohibits an employer from depriving an employee of employment or threatening or otherwise coercing an employee with respect to the employee's employment because the employee receives a notice to report for jury service, responds to the notice, serves as a juror, or attends court for prospective juror service. The statute applies to the full span of jury-related activity, from initial summons through actual service. An employer who violates this prohibition commits contempt under subsection (1).
No employer size threshold. Iowa Code § 607A.45 applies to all employers regardless of size. The statute uses the unqualified term "employer" without any minimum-employee threshold, in contrast to Iowa's pregnancy disability leave law under Iowa Code § 216.6(2)(e), which applies only to employers with four or more employees. Even a single-employee business must comply with the jury-duty anti-retaliation protection.
Civil remedies for discharge. If an employer discharges an employee in violation of the anti-retaliation rule, the employee may bring a civil action within sixty days of the discharge. Under Iowa Code § 607A.45(2), the employee may recover:
- Lost wages — recovery of wages lost as a result of the violation, capped at six weeks (damages recoverable shall not exceed lost wages for a period of six weeks);
- Reinstatement — an order requiring reinstatement of the employee; and
- Attorney fees — if the employee prevails, the employee shall be allowed reasonable attorney fees as determined by the court.
The sixty-day limitations period runs from the date of discharge. The six-week cap on lost-wage damages does not limit the attorney-fee award, which is separately provided under § 607A.45(2) and determined by the court based on reasonableness.
Remedies for non-discharge violations. The remedy provision in subsection (2) addresses discharge specifically; the statute does not detail remedies for other forms of threat or coercion short of termination, though such conduct remains prohibited under subsection (1) and may constitute contempt.
No statutory paid-leave requirement. Iowa law does not impose a requirement that employers pay wages to employees who serve on jury duty. The Iowa Judicial Branch states in its jury-service FAQ that "there is no Iowa law that requires employers to pay employees while serving jury duty," though many employers choose to do so voluntarily or through collective bargaining agreements. The anti-retaliation protection of § 607A.45 is independent of whether the employer pays wages during the leave; an employer must grant time off for jury service but is not statutorily required to compensate that time.
Source: Iowa Code § 607A.45 Source: Iowa Judicial Branch — Jury Service FAQ