August is the most popular birth month in the U.S., meaning many employees will return from parental leave this fall and winter with new postpartum needs. Two key federal laws – the PUMP Act and the Pregnant Workers Fairness...more
In recent years, the United States has faced an epidemic of maternal mortality and worsening maternal health disparities and ranks well beyond its industrialized peers on these metrics. In response, many employers have taken...more
Balancing work and motherhood raises age-old questions for women in virtually every industry. Amongst these are how to navigate work during both pregnancy and the transition back to work after the baby is born, which present...more
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued Field Assistance Bulletin No. 2023-2 on May 17, 2023, to provide guidance to its field staff regarding enforcement of the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers Act...more
New federal legislation is expanding existing employer obligations to provide reasonable accommodations for pregnant employees and reasonable breaks for nursing employees to express breast milk during the workday. The...more
On June 27, 2023, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) officially became law. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has issued statements confirming it will start accepting charges for any violations of the...more
On May 17, the Department of Labor (DOL) issued guidance concerning an employer’s obligation to provide nursing employees with reasonable break times and a private place to pump breast milk at work. In 2010, the Patient...more
A recent federal law—the PUMP Act—expands the rights of employees for lactation breaks. Although there were prior protections for some employees under federal law, the PUMP Act amends the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and...more
The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (“PWFA”) takes effect on June 27, 2023, and requires private employers with at least 15 employees to provide reasonable accommodations to their employees for pregnancy, childbirth, recovery,...more
In December 2022, Congress enacted two new federal laws that protect employees and applicants who are pregnant or postpartum: the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) and the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing...more
Nursing mothers now have pumped up rights at work. Congress recently passed the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers (PUMP) Act which went into effect on December 29, 2022, and expands the employment...more
Congress passed two laws related to pregnant workers and nursing mothers in December 2022. First, Congress passed the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), which requires employers with at least 15 employees provide...more
In late December of 2022, President Joe Biden signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (“the Act”). The Act contains a new privacy law called the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers Act,...more
The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (“PWFA”) is not the only new pregnancy-related law for employers to look for in 2023. The federal Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers Act (or “PUMP Act”) became law in...more
Congress recently passed two pregnancy-related acts, the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers (PUMP) Act and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA). While some of the Acts' provisions overlap with...more
On December 29, 2022, President Biden signed the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (“PWFA”) and the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers Act (“PUMP Act”) as part of the Fiscal Year 2023 Omnibus Spending Bill....more
On December 29, 2022, President Biden signed an omnibus appropriations bill into law that includes expanded protections for pregnant and nursing employees through two new acts: The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) and the...more