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The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires employers to provide reasonable break time for an employee to express breast milk for their nursing child for one year after the child's birth each time such employee has need to express the milk. Employees are entitled to a place to pump at work, other than a bathroom, that is shielded from view and free from intrusion from coworkers and the public.
On December 29, 2022, President Biden signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 into law. The law includes the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act (“PUMP Act”), which extends to more nursing employees the rights to receive break time to pump and a private place to pump at work and may impact some of the other information provided below.
What You Should Know
Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA):
- Most nursing workers are entitled to reasonable break time and a private space to pump at work for up to one year after their child’s birth.
- Most employers are required to provide covered employees with space that is functional for pumping milk, shielded from view, free from intrusion, available as needed and not a bathroom.
New Law Expanding Pumping at Work Protections
On December 29, 2022, President Biden signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 into law. This legislation introduced the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act (“PUMP Act”), expanding these rights to more nursing employees, including agricultural workers, nurses, teachers, truck and taxi drivers, home care workers and managers.
These materials can be printed and used in workplaces to ensure that workers understand their rights and employers understand their responsibilities under the law.
- Protections to pump at work – flyer
- Protections to pump at work – small card
- Protections to pump at work – door hanger
- Workplace FLSA poster including PUMP Act
- Federal Protections for Pregnant, Postpartum and Pumping Workers – EEOC and WHD flyer
- WHD Fact Sheet #73: FLSA Protections for Employees to Pump at Work
- Field Assistance Bulletin (FAB) 2023-2: Enforcement of Protections for Employees to Pump at Work
- How to file a complaint
- General Presentation: Pump at Work Protections under the Fair Labor Standards Act
- Maternal Health: What to Expect from Your Employer When You’re Expecting
- Federal Protections for Pregnant, Postpartum and Pumping Workers – EEOC and WHD flyer
- Frequently Asked Questions: Pumping Breast Milk at Work
- Agriculture Industry FAQs
- Care worker Industry FAQs
- Retail and restaurant Industry FAQs
- Transportation FAQs
- Education FAQs
- Preguntas Frecuentes (Español): Extracción de Leche Materna en el Trabajo
- 常见问题 (Chinese): 工作期间挤奶 关于
- Kesyon yo Poze Souvan (Hatian Creole): Tire Lèt Manman nan Travay la
- Cov Lus Kheev Nug (Hmong): Kev Qus Mis Niam tim Chaw Ua Hauj Lwm
- 자주 묻는 질문 (Korean): 직장 내 모유 유축
- Często zadawane pytania (Polish): odciąganie pokarmu w pracy
- Часто задаваемые вопросы (Russian): Сцеживание грудного молока на работе
- คำ ถำมท ี พ่ บบ ่ อย (Thai): กำรบบ ี เกบ ็ น ้ ำนมในท ี ท่ ำงำน
- Câu Hỏi Thường Gặp (Vietnamese): Vắt Sữa Mẹ Tại Nơi Làm Việc
The Pump at Work webinars are designed to equip workers, employers, and other stakeholders with resources and information about the PUMP Act, including specific considerations by industry. Spanish language webinars are included here; for other languages, please visit our FAQs above.
General Industry
- Webinar recording - 60 minutes
- Presentation - 31 slides
- FAQs
- Español: Presentación - 33 páginas | Preguntas frecuentes
Agriculture Industry
- Webinar recording - 33 minutes
- Presentation - 33 slides
- FAQs - 1 page
- Español: Agricultura: Grabación de un seminario web - 34 minutos | Presentación - 33 páginas | Preguntas frecuentes
Care worker Industry
- Webinar recording - 29 minutes
- Presentation - 33 pages
- FAQs - 1 page
- Español: La industria del cuidado: Grabación de un seminario web - 43 minutos | Presentación - 33 páginas | Preguntas frecuentes
Retail and Restaurant Industry
- Webinar recording - 30 minutes
- Presentation - 33 pages
- FAQs - 1 page
- Español: Comercios y restaurantes: Grabación de un seminario web - 32 minutos | Presentación - 33 páginas | Preguntas frecuentes
Transportation Industry
- Webinar recording - 55 minutes
- Presentation - 36 pages
- FAQs - 2 pages
- Español: Industria del Transporte: Grabación de un seminario web - 31 minutos | Presentación - 36 páginas | Preguntas frecuentes
Education Industry
- Webinar recording - 29 minutes
- Presentation - 32 pages
- FAQs - 1 page
- Español: Industria de la educación: Grabación de un seminario web - 33 minutos | Presentación - 36 páginas | Preguntas frecuentes
These federal and state government resources provide information on additional legal protections, guidance, and best practices for workers and employers.
DOL Women’s Bureau
- Employment Protections for Workers Who are Pregnant or Nursing
- Women’s Bureau flyer: Nursing Employee Workplace Protections
Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
- OPM Guidance on Nursing Mothers in the Federal Workforce
- OPM Guidance on Establishing a Federal Nursing Mother’s Program
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- Employer Solutions: Supporting Nursing Moms at Work
- Centers for Disease Control: CDC Healthier Worksite Initiative, Workplace Lactation Support Program Toolkit
- Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
- Surgeon General’s EEOC Enforcement Guidance: Unlawful Disparate Treatment of Workers with Caregiving Responsibilities
- What You Should Know About the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA)
- DOL/EEOC Maternal Health Series, including webinars – What to Expect from Your Employer When You’re Expecting
- EEOC and WHD flyer: Federal Protections for Pregnant, Postpartum and Pumping Workers
National Conference of State Legislatures
- Fair Labor Standards Act § 18d (as amended by the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers Act, P.L 117-328)
- PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023
- PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act – December 2022
