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Issued By: Human Resources
Effective Date: August 2013
Purpose
The College of St. Scholastica is committed to maintaining a family-friendly workplace and supporting the health and well-being of our faculty and staff.
General Statement of Policy
A. The College of St. Scholastica recognizes that...
Breast milk is the optimal food for growth and development of infants and encourages employees and management to have a positive, accepting attitude toward working women who are breastfeeding. CSS promotes and supports breastfeeding and the expression of breast milk by employees who are breast feeding when they return to work.
The following guidelines also comply with the mandates of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) of 2010. This laws amended Section 7 of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
The need to express milk or breastfeeding should not constitute a source of discrimination in employment or in access to employment. It is prohibited under this policy to harass a breastfeeding employee; such conduct unreasonably interferes with an employee's work performance and creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive working environment. Any incident of harassment of a breastfeeding employee will be addressed in accordance with the CSS policies and procedures for discrimination and harassment.
B. Eligibility
All full time and part time faculty and staff are eligible to participate in the Nursing Mothers program.
While employees exempt from the overtime requirements of FLSA are not governed by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), in the spirit of this policy, employees exempt under FLSA will also be provided with periods of time to express milk.
C. Lactation Areas
Employees shall be provided the use of a clean, comfortable space "other than a bathroom that is shielded from view and free from intrusion from coworkers and the public, which may be used by an employee to express breast milk".
Breast feeding employees are responsible for keeping the general lactation room clean for the next user. If employees prefer, they may also express their milk in their own private offices ensuring that their door is locked so their privacy may not be invaded.
The designated spaces on the Duluth Campus are S1205F and S1205E. As needed, a space will be designated on satellite CSS Campuses to meet the needs of a nursing mother.
D. Temporary Storage of Breast Milk on the Premises
Should a nursing mother choose to store milk in a CSS refrigerator, the milk must be clearly labeled with name and date. Those using the refrigerator are responsible for keeping it clean.
Employees may use their own cooler/cooler packs to store expressed milk.
E. Break Times
Breaks may be provided for an employee to express milk for her nursing child for one year after the child's birth each time such employee has a need to express the milk.
Employees shall be granted flexible and reasonable breaks, using their normal break periods and meal times, to accommodate milk expression. Lactation time beyond the regular break time is unpaid. Employees may make up the time as negotiated with their supervisors.
Employees who wish to express milk during the work period should keep their supervisors informed of their needs so that the appropriate accommodations can be made to satisfy the needs of both the employee and the department. Nursing mothers who feel they have been denied appropriate accommodations are encouraged to contact Human Resources.
Responsibility
Human Resources is responsible for implementing this policy, including resolution of accommodation requests.