Supporting Breastfeeding Employees (Policy #314)

Office of Human Resources

In recognition of the law and the documented health advantages of breastfeeding for infants and mothers, UW-Whitewater provides a supportive environment to enable breastfeeding employees who choose to continue providing their milk for their infants after returning to work, during work hours in the following ways:

• Milk Expression Breaks
  • Breastfeeding employees are allowed to breastfeed or express milk during work hours using their normal breaks and meal times. For time that may be needed beyond the usual break times, employees may use personal leave or may make up the time as negotiated with their supervisors.
• A Place to Express Milk
  
  • A private room (not a toilet stall or restroom) shall be available for employees to breastfeed or express milk. The room will be private and sanitary, located near a sink with running water for washing hands and rinsing out breast pump parts, and have an electrical outlet. If employees prefer, they may also breastfeed or express milk in their own private offices, or in other comfortable locations agreed upon in consultation with the employee’s supervisor. Expressed milk can be stored in department’s refrigerator if available, or in the employee’s personal cooler.

A. Employee Responsibilities

• Communication with Supervisors
  • Employees who wish to express milk during the work period shall keep supervisors informed of their needs so that appropriate accommodations can be made to satisfy the needs of both the employee and the work area.
• Maintenance of Milk Expression Areas
  • Breastfeeding employees are responsible for keeping milk expression areas clean, using anti-microbial wipes to clean the area. Employees are also responsible for keeping the general lactation room clean for the next user. This responsibility extends to both designated milk expression areas, as well as other areas where expression of milk will occur.
• Milk Storage
  • Employees should label all milk expressed with their name and date collected so it is not inadvertently confused with another employee’s milk. Each employee is responsible for proper storage of her milk using the department’s provided refrigerator (if available) or personal storage coolers.
• Use of Break Times to Express Milk
  • When more than one breastfeeding employee needs to use a designated lactation room, employees can use the sign-in log provided in the room to negotiate milk expression times that are most convenient or best meet their needs.
    

Wis. Stat. § 253.165

Fact Sheet #73: FLSA Protections for Employees to Pump Breast Milk at Work

Fact Sheet #73A: Space Requirements for Employees to Pump Breast Milk at Work under the FLSA

Questions regarding the interpretation of this policy should be directed to:

Chief Human Resources Officer
Phone: 262-472-1409
Email: putlandc@uww.edu