Should I Be Able to Breastfeed at Work?

A new amendment to the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (LAD) signed by Governor Chris Christie before he left office mandates that employers provide breaks and a place for women to breastfeed or express their milk during the work day. Breastfeeding is now a protected activity, making New Jersey the 18^th state to give civil rights to breastfeeding mothers. The law covers all employers except those who can prove that accommodating a breastfeeding employee would create “an undue hardship on business operations.”

The new requirements for employers say that women must be allowed breaks during the work day to breastfeed or pump milk and there must be a private space for them to do so. This space must be near the work area and cannot be a toilet stall. The breastfeeding breaks do not have to be paid unless the employee had previously been paid during breaks.