Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Protections
FLSA Protections to pump at work, including the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act ("PUMP Act"), a new law expanding pumping at work protections.
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA)
The federal PPACA provides, among other things, certain requirements for employers with respect to accommodating nursing mothers in the workforce. The following excerpt from the law (P.L. 111-148, section 4207) illustrates the key requirements:
(r)(1) An employer shall provide—
- a reasonable break time for an employee to express breast milk for her nursing child for 1 year after the child’s birth each time such employee has need to express the milk; and
- a place, other than a bathroom, that is shielded from view and free from intrusion from coworkers and the public, which may be used by an employee to express breast milk.
(r)(2) An employer shall not be required to compensate an employee receiving reasonable break time under paragraph (1) for any work time spent for such purpose.
[NOTE: The frequency of breaks to express milk as well as the duration of each break will likely vary, according to the needs of the individual mother.]