Two new laws that expand protections for pregnant and nursing workers are now in effect.
President Biden signed the legislation in late 2022.
The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations for pregnant workers who need lighter duty or other work arrangements. The law went into effect June 27, 2023, and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission enforces it. Other laws the EEOC enforces make it illegal to fire or otherwise discriminate against workers on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.
The PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act expanded protections to the roughly one in four workers of childbearing age who previously did not have these protections under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The law requires employers to provide reasonable break time to express breastmilk, whenever a worker needs to, in a private place that’s not a bathroom. Enforcement of the new law began April 28, 2023.
Learn more about both laws by clicking the links above. Also see the infographic below. If you are a member of the SSMRC and your employer is not abiding by these new laws, please contact your business agent for assistance.
