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 ― would guarantee more U.S. workers the time and space to express breast milk while on the job. The legislation already passed the House but hit roadblocks in the Senate, where Democrats need to secure more GOP support.
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Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon), who co-sponsored the bill with Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), told HuffPost that some senators are holding up the legislation due to resistance from the airlines. He said Senate staff have worked on language in the bill to accommodate the industry, but the airlines are still opposed.
“For months, we have worked tirelessly in good faith to address every concern they have over costs and safety,” Merkley said in a statement. “These are the same airlines that say they are greatly concerned about the health and welfare of their workers. Yet they are blocking the ability of their workers to pump breast milk at work.”
“Not only are they blocking this for their employees, but they are blocking it for 9 million other workers across the country,” the senator added.
The Affordable Care Act of 2010, known colloquially as Obamacare, set a new requirement for employers to provide workers with a clean,...
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