Stacy Hickox is quoted in The Business Journals for a story about new worker protections going into effect in 2023, specifically the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers Act (PUMP Act).
The PUMP Act closes some of the Fair Labor Standards Act gaps that required employers to provide break time for workers who needed to pump breast milk, but that provision only existed for so-called “exempt” workers or those who were exempted from overtime. The PUMP Act expands the pool of covered workers by millions and requires a private space for workers to pump breast milk that is shielded from view (cannot be a bathroom).
Enforcement provisions of the PUMP Act will go into effect on April 28, 2023. “The PUMP Act will be enforced by the Department of Labor (DOL) along with its enforcement of the Fair Labor Standards Act and complaints can be filed with local DOL offices,” according to Hickox.
She explains that “break time can still be unpaid for hourly workers, if pay is not otherwise required by law or contract. In contrast, salaried workers should receive their full salary even if they take time to express milk during their workday. Workers have these rights for the first year of their baby’s life.”
The Business Journals, a division of American City Business Journals, reach an audience of over 10 million people via its 44 websites and 64 publications.
Read the full article here.