Advancing the rights of working families.

Breastfeeding at Work


Federal Law

Current federal law protects the right to breastfeed on federal property, (U.S. Postal Appropriations Pub. L. 106-58, § 647 (1999)), and amends the Fair Labor Standards Act to guarantee nursing mothers reasonable break time and a protected place to express milk at work (Patient Protection and Affordability Care Act, Pub. L. 111-148, § 4207 (2010)). Under the law, employers must provide time, as frequently as needed, for non-exempt employees to express milk for their nursing children up to 1 year after birth and provide a private space that is not a bathroom for them to do so. The Department of Labor will issue regulations on the break time requirement in the near future, so please return to our website for updated information.

State Breastfeeding Laws

Thirty-nine states have laws protecting the rights of women to breastfeed on public and private property. Only 13 states have laws related to breastfeeding in the workplace. For more information on these laws, please visit:

Breastfeeding in New York

In August 2007, New York State enacted a law to protect nursing mothers’ ability to continue providing breast milk to their infants upon their return to work. The law requires employers to give mothers (unpaid) time and make a reasonable effort to provide them space at work to express milk or nurse their children for a period of up to three years after childbirth. The law also bars employers from discriminating against employees who exercise their right to breastfeed.

 

Breastfeeding Advocacy

A Better Balance is working to improve enforcement of existing laws and to expand protections for nursing mothers at work and beyond.  

 

 

 

Login Form