Overlawyered: Chronicling The High Cost Of Our Legal System

No lockable private room for breast-feeding at workplace: $3.8 million award

“Federal law requires that you provide breastfeeding moms a room with a locking door–that is not a bathroom–to pump breast milk up until the baby’s first birthday. This is pretty easy in a big office building with lots of space, but not so easy in a firehouse. The law, however, doesn’t make an exception for difficulty, as the [City of Tucson fire department] found out — to the tune of $3.8 million.” [Suzanne Lucas, Inc.]

Filed under: ,

4 Comments

  • $3.8 mill. for not having a pumping room? I’m going to guess that the retaliation claim was where the big money was awarded…much easier to make a prima facie case, also.

    • By Mike

  • Simple fix. Don’t hire female firefighters.

  • The part that loses me here is a requirement for a room with a locking door; we don’t even require that on bathrooms and they are more compromising from a modesty or safety perspective if that is the worry. Also what does a breastfeeding room have to do with the child’s age?

    • By Peter

  • The law, however, doesn’t make an exception for difficulty

    But the article also says:

    You don’t need to comply with this unless you have 50 or more employees or you can demonstrate a hardship

    It seems like there is an exception for difficulty, then?