NYSDOL Issues Compliance Guidance on New Workplace Breast Milk Expression Law
The New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) has issued the guidance below on compliance with the new law regarding breast milk expression in the workplace.
Attention employers, This message is to remind you of an important legislative update regarding breast milk expression in the workplace. As of June 19, 2024, the following changes are in effect:
Prior to this amendment, employers were only required to provide “reasonable unpaid” break time. All employees have the right to express breast milk in the workplace regardless of the size of their employer or the industry they work in. Employers are required to provide a private space, that is not a bathroom, for any employee wishing to express breast milk in the workplace. The expansion of the law to include paid break time recognizes the importance of parent and child health and aims to create a more supportive and accommodating environment for nursing employees. Since June of 2023, employers are also required to tell employees about their rights regarding breast milk expression by providing them with the NYSDOL Policy on the Rights of Employees to Express Breast Milk in the Workplace when they start a new job. Retaliation against an employee choosing to express breast milk in the workplace is prohibited. For more information, please review NYSDOL Information for Employers, Rights of Nursing Employees to Pump Breast Milk at Work or visit our Breastmilk Expression in the Workplace website. |