Are Lactation breaks required by law?

✅ Ask Us: “Are lactation breaks at work required by law?” sent in by Joshua Ford, restaurant owner, Indianapolis.

Thornton: “Yes. Lactation breaks at work are required by federal law.

Specifically, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), which was enacted in 2010, amended the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to require employers to provide reasonable break time for an employee to express breast milk for her nursing child for up to one year after the child's birth. That law is now complemented by the PUMP Act.

Under the law, employers are required to provide a private space for lactation, other than a bathroom, that is shielded from view and free from intrusion.

Employers are not required to compensate employees for lactation breaks. But if the employer chooses to provide paid breaks, the employee must be compensated at the normal rate of pay.”