Breastfeeding mom concerned NC doesn't protect women pumping in the workplace
Working mothers say the support they receive while pumping or breastfeeding on the job depends on their place of employment.
Posted — UpdatedWorking mothers say the support they receive while pumping or breastfeeding on the job depends on their place of employment.
WRAL Investigates reviewed complaints filed with the state Department of Labor against businesses in North Carolina accused of violating a working mother’s breastfeeding rights and found some issues often go unreported.
Breastfeeding mom Michelle Sakala said caring for her infant during the pandemic was already stressful. When she returned to work as a post-surgical nurse, she said pumping to maintain her milk supply was far more difficult.
While Sakala was always offered a room to pump during her shifts at the hospital, the location constantly changed. Sometimes she pumped in the break room, and other times she pumped in her manager's office.
At one point, Sakala said she was provided a patient observation room sometimes used for suspected cases of COVID-19.
"Even though there are cleaning policies in place, it’s not the most comforting feeling when you’re trying to make food for your child," Sakala said.
Although she was uncomfortable, Sakala never made a formal complaint because, legally, her employer didn’t do anything wrong.
In 2020, the state Department of Labor investigated six businesses for violating a working mom’s breastfeeding rights. Four include:
- Avenue Apartments, Raleigh, where an employee was given a storage room without air conditioning or an electrical outlet to pump.
- Murphy Oil USA, Elizabeth City, where an employee was offered a space the size of a closet under 24-hour video surveillance.
- Gaston’s Garage, Apex, where the owner told investigators she didn’t have enough space to accommodate a nursing employee so she offered her own office and was present while the employee was pumping.
- Baxter Healthcare Corporation, Marion, where an employee simply wasn’t given enough time to express milk, which for many women takes 15 minutes at minimum.
Sakala said it appears easier for an employee to take a smoke break than it is to pump milk for their child.
"Although it’s changed a lot, you know, in a place like North Carolina that was built on tobacco, people don't even blink about smoke breaks," she said.
Sakala has since left the hospital where she worked.
"There is no North Carolina law protecting breastfeeding mothers," she said. "Breastfeeding is a full-time job. Taking care of your kids, that’s a full-time job in itself, and then for moms who work outside the home, that’s [another] full-time job, and we need help and support."
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