NYC: Lactation Room Law Effective 3/18/19
January 18, 2019
On March 18, 2019, New York City’s Lactation Room laws will go into effect, requiring employers to provide nursing mothers with an on-site lactation room that meets the NYC Administrative Code’s new minimum standards.These standards require that the room contain a refrigerator, electrical outlet, and nearby access to running water.
Employers must also notify employees of the existence of the room and establish a process for making lactation-related accommodation requests.
According to Seyfarth Shaw LLP, the accommodations process must:
- Specify the means by which an employee may submit a request for a lactation room;
- Require the employer to respond to a request for a lactation room within a reasonable amount of time not to exceed five business days;
- Provide a procedure to follow when two or more individuals need to use the lactation room at the same time, including contact information for any follow up required;
- State that the employer shall provide reasonable break time for an employee to express breast milk, consistent with section 206-c of the Labor Law; and
- State that if the request for a lactation room poses an undue hardship on the employer, the employer shall engage in a cooperative dialogue.
For more information, please click here.
The information included in this blog post originally appeared in an alert from Seyfarth Shaw LLP on January 11, 2019, written by Gena B. Usenheimer and Nila Merola.
