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Office of Human Resources

Lactation Accommodation Policy & The Lactation Room

Lactation Accommodation Policy 

The Lactation Accommodation Policy establishes guidelines for promoting a breastfeeding-friendly work environment and supporting lactating employees at the University for as long as they desire to express breast milk. The University supports the legal right and necessity of employees who choose to express milk in the workplace. This policy applies to all University employees, including student employees working at all campus locations. 

Background

On April 15, 2019, Baltimore City enacted the Lactation Accommodations in the Workplace Ordinance which required employers in Baltimore City to provide lactation accommodations to breastfeeding employees. As required by The Ordinance, Loyola developed a written lactation accommodations policy and created space for breastfeeding employees.
 
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. The PUMP Act requires employers to provide reasonable break time for an employee to express breast milk for each time the 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.

Reasonable Break Time to Pump Breast Milk

  • Most employees have the right to take reasonable break time to express breast milk for their nursing child.
  • The frequency and duration of breaks needed to express milk will likely vary depending on factors related to the nursing employee and the child.
  • Factors such as the location of the space and steps reasonably necessary to express breast milk, such as pump setup, can also affect the duration of time an employee will need to express milk 
  • Employees who are remote/telework are eligible to take pump breaks under the FLSA on the same basis as other employees.
  • Employees must be completely relieved of their duties during their break time.

Private Space to Pump Breast Milk

  • The location must be functional as a space for expressing breast milk.
  • Must be shielded from view and free from intrusion from coworkers and the public.
  • A space temporarily created or converted into a space for expressing breast milk is acceptable and must be available when needed by the employee in order to meet the statutory requirement. 
  • Cannot be a bathroom, even if it is private. 

Lactation Room Mission: Access to lactation rooms on campus is an important part of supporting all employees. The Lactation Rooms are a private, quiet and peaceful space for employees to express breast milk for their nursing child. Lactation Rooms are available at the following locations.

  • Evergreen Campus - Jenkins Hall, Room 016. Located on the lower level. Visit Jenkins Hall Suite 105 or call 410-617-7319 to check out a key.
  • Evergreen Campus - Fernandez Center, Room 010. Located on the ground level. Visit Jenkins Hall Suite 105 or call 410-617-7319 to check out a key. 
  • Loyola Notre Dame Library - Visit their Help Desk or call 410-617-6801 for room access. 
  • Belvedere Square - Loyola Clinical Centers, Room 258. Check in at the front desk or email theclinics@loyola.edu for room access.
  • Ridley Athletic Complex – Room RAC201E. Visit Jenkins Hall Suite 105 or call 410-617-7319 for room access. This room is intended only for the use of individuals with current swipe access to Ridley.

Requesting a Lactation Accommodation & Reserving the Lactation Room

  1.  Complete the Lactation Accommodation Request Form.
  2.  Send the completed form to humanresources@loyola.edu.
  3.  Receive HR's confirmation.
  4.  Reserve a lactation room.  

Please respect all the families who need to use this room by keeping the space clean. Report issues to human resources immediately.

Resources and Additional Information

Maryland.Gov Breastfeeding Laws   
Fact Sheet#73: Federal protections for employees to pump breast milk at work 
PUMP Act FAQ 

Prohibitions on Retaliation

It is a violation of the FLSA for any person to “discharge or in any other manner discriminate against any employee because such employee has filed any complaint or instituted or caused to be instituted any proceeding under or related to this Act, or has testified or is about to testify in any such proceeding, or has served or is about to serve on an industry committee.” Employees are protected regardless of whether the complaint is made orally or in writing. Complaints made to the Wage and Hour Division are protected, and most courts have ruled that internal complaints to an employer are also protected.

Affordable Care Act--Insurance Coverage of Breast Pumps and Breastfeeding Assistance

Effective 8/1/12 the Affordable Care Act (ACA) expands health plan coverage to include breastfeeding support and supplies. Coverage varies among insurance plans, so check your insurance plan summary or call the customer service number on the back of your insurance card to find out the details of your benefits. If checking about breast pumps, talk with a Lactation Consultant before calling your insurer, to find out which pump is best for your situation, especially if your baby is in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) or you plan on returning to work and will need to pump on a regular basis to build up or maintain your milk supply.

This website provides a summary of the benefits available. The University reserves the right to modify, amend, suspend or terminate any plan at any time, and for any reason without prior notification. You will be notified of any changes to these plans and how they affect your benefits, if at all. The plans described on this website are governed by insurance contracts and plan documents, which are available for examination. We have attempted to make explanations of the plans on this website as accurate as possible. However, should there be a discrepancy between this website and the provisions of the insurance contracts or plan documents, the provisions of the insurance contracts or plan documents will govern. In addition, you should not rely on any oral descriptions of these plans, since the written descriptions in the insurance contracts and plan documents will always govern.

 

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