The Department of Labor is suing a Lubbock business called “Inspirations,” which is a branch of Allegiance Health Management. The lawsuit claims a former employee wasn’t allowed to pump her breast milk at work in the correct conditions, something that’s dictated under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
The regulations dictate a mother needs enough time and a private room to pump her milk while at work, but the woman listed in the lawsuit said in the lawsuit she wasn’t given either of those things.
Allegiance Health Care said they did not have a comment on the ongoing legal matter.
“It is a mom’s right to breastfeed anywhere in the state of Texas,” Amber Hansen said. She’s not directly involved in the lawsuit but is an advocate for the freedom to pump in public and at work. She’s also helped mothers before with breastfeeding at work.
The mother involved with the lawsuit was unable to comment because it’s ongoing litigation.
“I have friends who work, teachers, nurses, they do different things and they allow that time to pump whenever they need to do so,” said Hansen. “To have a mom who wasn’t able to, it made me mad. Everybody should have the right to breastfeed their baby.”
The lawsuit claims the employer violated two regulations under the Fair Labor Standards Act. One of them being the pumping location, which needs to be an isolated room with a lock that doesn’t include a bathroom.
“People say they should go to a bathroom. A bathroom isn’t sanitary,” said Hansen. “I wouldn’t want to eat my meal out of a bathroom, and I’m sure they wouldn’t want to either.”
The suit goes on to claim when the employee requested her rights for pumping breaks, the employer created “intolerable working conditions” leading to the employee quitting.
The lawsuit was filed in the beginning of April and so far has not been settled. As of Tuesday, the defense has not filed a response to the lawsuit.
The plaintiff is requesting lost wages among other things for the alleged violations.
