In the Daily Journal article titled “New law requires California employers to accommodate lactation,” Sacramento attorney Benjamin M. Ebbink discusses Assembly Bill 1976, which requires employers to make reasonable efforts to provide a room “other than a bathroom” to accommodate an employee to express breast milk in private. While the previous California law stated employers had to provide a room “other than a toilet stall,” bathrooms will no longer cut it as of Jan. 1, 2019.
In his article, Ben explains AB 1976’s conditions for temporary lactation rooms and the possibilities for employers to receive a hardship exemption. If an employer is granted a hardship exemption, they must make reasonable efforts to provide the employee with a room, other than a toilet stall. Ben concludes by offering next steps for employers, encouraging them to review procedures for lactation accommodation and warning that some employers may be required to make physical changes to the workplace in order to comply with the new law.
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