The New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly have approved a bill that would provide certain protections for women who wish to express breast milk while at work. The bill is now awaiting Govenor Spitzer’s signature.
According to the New York State Senate website, the bill “provides that an employee shall have the right to express breast milk at work; requires employer to make reasonable efforts to provide a location for a woman to express milk in privacy; prohibits discrimination.”
Here’s the text, amending the state’s labor laws:
§ 206-c. Right of nursing mothers to express breast milk. An employer shall provide reasonable unpaid break time or permit an employee to use paid break time or meal time each day to allow an employee to express breast milk for her nursing child for up to three years following childbirth. The employer shall make reasonable efforts to provide a room or other location, in close proximity to the work area, where an employee can express milk in privacy. No employer shall discriminate in any way against an employee who chooses to express breast milk in the workplace.
-Amanda Kissel and Bridget Crawford
