Julie wants to pump breast milk at work
Current employment law requires employers to provide a private place for lactating women to express breast milk at their work place.
Attorney Tom Olsen: Julie you're on News 96.5 go ahead.
Julie: Hi, l have a question for Travis. I just had my baby a few weeks ago and l feel like I'm ready to work go back as soon my FMO is going to be up. l am breastfeeding my baby now but l want to be able to pump at work. Where l work though there's mostly men and a couple of older females, what's the best way for me to ask about break time, it's a little embarrassing to pump and then some room that l can go to maybe two or three times during the day?
Attorney Tom Olsen: All right, go ahead Travis.
Attorney Travis Hollifield: Well thanks for your call Julie. It’s always an awkward situation especially if you're working primarily men. You mentioned your working primarily with men and a couple of older female, so I'm assuming that you’re the only woman of childbearing age and this may be the first time that your employer has had to deal with an employee who is coming back from maternity leave period that is requesting an opportunity to breast-- not to breastfeed but express milk at work, to pump at work.
It's real simple, you need to ask your employer or tell your employer that you are indeed lactating and that you intend on expressing milk at work and that you would like a private room in order to be able to do that and the necessary short break time throughout the day that you need in order to nourish your child. Once you put your employer on notice, they are under a legal obligation to provide those things to you.
If they fail to do so, or worse if as a result of you asking them they take some adverse action against you like say "Don’t come back to work" or they terminate you or they reduce your pay or something like that, call me because that's against the law and we can bring a claim to ameliorate that very serious problem if the employer fails to do what they have to do under the law.
Attorney Tom Olsen: Travis if any of our listeners wants to reach you directly how would they do that?
Attorney Travis Hollifield: They can call me at the office Monday through Friday 9.00 to 5.00, 407-599-959.