A yearslong effort to expand the rights of women to pump
\nbreast milk at work has been held up near the finish line due to opposition
\nfrom the airline industry, according to a senator involved in the fight.<\/p>\n
The bipartisan bill ? known as the Providing Urgent Maternal Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon), who co-sponsored the bill with \u201cFor months, we have worked tirelessly in good faith to \u201cNot only are they blocking this for their employees, but The Affordable Care Act of 2010, known colloquially as \u201cAny airline that says they support the right of women to – Sara Nelson, president of AFA-CWA<\/p>\n Both the rail and airline industries<\/a> said they had problems The latest version of the bill would not allow workers to But the industry is also seeking language guaranteeing that Delta, United and American Airlines all declined to comment A spokesperson for the group said in a statement that \u201cAs safety is and always will be our top priority, we Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight \u201cAt this point, it\u2019s about killing it,\u201d Nelson said. \u201cAny Democrats and many Republicans agree that making sure A 2019 HuffPost investigaci\u00f3n<\/a> documented workers who developed mastitis<\/a> after their employers put up barriers to them \u201cThese are the same airlines that say they are greatly – Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.)<\/p>\n Nelson said flight crews need to be included in the law \u201cI\u2019ve done this. It\u2019s really hard,\u201d she said. \u201cFlight The current window to get the bill into law is running Dozens of House Republicans voted in favor of the PUMP Act One lawmaker who opposes the legislation, Republican Sen. \u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s going to fly,\u201d Wicker said of the bill.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Igor Bobic provided additional reporting.<\/i><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A yearslong effort to expand the rights of women to pump breast milk at work has been held up near the finish line due to opposition from the airline industry, according to a senator involved in the fight. The bipartisan bill ? known as the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers Act, or PUMP Act ? […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1836","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-in-the-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\nProtections for Nursing Mothers Act, or Ley de BOMBA<\/a> ? would guarantee more U.S. workers the time
\nand space to express breast milk while on the job. The legislation already
\npassed the House but hit roadblocks in the Senate, where Democrats need to
\nsecure more GOP support.<\/p>\n
\nRepublican Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), told HuffPost that some senators are
\nholding up the legislation due to resistance from the airlines. He said Senate
\nstaff have worked on language in the bill to accommodate the industry, but the
\nairlines are still opposed.<\/p>\n
\naddress every concern they have over costs and safety,\u201d Merkley said in a
\nstatement. \u201cThese are the same airlines that say they are greatly concerned about
\nthe health and welfare of their workers. Yet they are blocking the ability of
\ntheir workers to pump breast milk at work.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nthey are blocking it for 9 million other workers across the country,\u201d the
\nsenator added.<\/p>\n
\nObamacare, set a new requirement<\/a> for employers to provide workers
\nwith a clean, private space and reasonable break time to pump milk for their
\nbabies. But because the rule was tied to minimum wage and overtime law, it
\nexcluded millions of salaried employees and other categories of workers ? a
\ncarve-out the PUMP Act is meant to end.<\/p>\n
\npump in aviation is lying because they\u2019re not telling these Republicans to
\nstand down.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n
\nwith the PUMP Act, arguing their unique working environments needed special
\nattention. The bill\u2019s backers reached an agreement with rail representatives to
\nallay their concerns, but haven\u2019t managed to do so with the airlines, which are
\nseeking special language related to flight attendants and pilots.<\/p>\n
\npump during critical flight periods, including takeoff and landing, which
\nbackers of the bill hoped would end the standoff. It would also allow air
\ncarriers to comply with the law by simply hanging a curtain for privacy, to
\navoid having to retrofit airplanes.<\/p>\n
\nany state laws related to breast pumping would be preempted and not apply to
\na ellos.<\/p>\n
\nwhen asked if they support the PUMP Act, referring HuffPost to an industry
\ntrade lobby, Airlines for America.<\/p>\n
\nairlines \u201calready voluntarily\u201d provide time and accommodations to pump, and
\ninsisted that \u201cin-flight crew duties are inherently unique.\u201d<\/p>\n
\ncontinue to advocate for a consistent federal standard for our in-flight crews
\nthat keeps them and our passengers safe,\u201d the group said.<\/p>\n
\nAttendants-CWA union, said the industry seeking a preemption from state laws
\nwas a \u201cdelay tactic.\u201d She called the airlines\u2019 opposition \u201cdisgusting\u201d and said
\nthey were trying to \u201chide behind\u201d their trade group.<\/p>\n
\nairline that says they support the right of women to pump in aviation is lying
\nbecause they\u2019re not telling these Republicans to stand down.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nbreastfeeding mothers can pump at work is a commonsense, family-friendly
\npolicy. But it\u2019s also about basic dignity and health on the job. Not being able
\nto pump when necessary can lead to serious pain and infection.<\/p>\n
\npumping at work. Many companies are still reluctant to set up devoted pumping
\nareas or provide workers with breaks, even for those who are covered by the
\nlaw.<\/p>\n
\nconcerned about the health and welfare of their workers.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n
\nbecause \u201cit\u2019s physically impossible most days to pump around your flights.\u201d
\nEven if some airlines voluntarily accommodate pumping now, Nelson said airline
\ncrews need guarantees under the law like other workers.<\/p>\n
\nattendants make it work today, but guess what? There are no rules around it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nshort, since Democrats lose their House majority when the new Congress is sworn
\nin next month. The best shot at passing the law may be to include it in an
\nomnibus spending package before Christmas, if the measure gains enough support.<\/p>\n
\nwhen it passed in October 2021, but lawmakers would have to approve another
\nversion under GOP leadership if backers can\u2019t get it over the finish line this
\nyear. The bill is unlikely to be the same priority in a Republican House.<\/p>\n
\nRoger Wicker of Mississippi, declined to explain his concerns when asked by
\nHuffPost. He acknowledged there had been \u201cstaff to staff\u201d discussions about the
\nairlines\u2019 issues.<\/p>\n