Pregnant workers and nursing moms have new protections on the job

Pregnant workers should have an easier time getting a stool, extra bathroom breaks or a bottle of water without fear of getting fired, thanks to a new law that takes effect on Tuesday.

The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which Congress passed as part of a federal government spending package in December, requires employers to provide “reasonable accommodations” related to pregnancy or childbirth unless they would cause an “undue hardship.” It applies to businesses with at least 15 employees.

The law is one of two enhanced job-based protections for expectant and new mothers contained in the spending package. The other, the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act, expands the right to have break time and a private place outside of a bathroom to pump to nearly 9 million more breastfeeding workers who were not covered under a previous Affordable Care Act provision. They include teachers, registered nurses, farm workers and others.

Annually, nearly 2.8 million pregnant women – 70% of all pregnant women – worked while they were expecting, according to the National Partnership for Women & Families.

Advocates have been fighting to improve federal protections for pregnant workers for more than a decade, saying that the Pregnancy Discrimination Act is inadequate and that most pregnancy-related conditions are not considered disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

“At long last, pregnant workers can no longer be forced off the job for needing light duty work or a stool to sit on to maintain a healthy pregnancy,” said Dina Bakst, co-founder and co-president of A Better Balance, a national legal advocacy organization. “Working moms no longer have to fear job loss for needing time off to safely recover from childbirth. No longer will women nationwide face the impossible choice between maintaining a healthy pregnancy and affording food for their…