South Jersey Woman Claims Inability to Breastfeed at Work Cost Her Her Job

A Burlington County woman claims she was fired from her job as a front desk receptionist because the Hampton Inn she worked at in Bordentown says it couldn’t make accommodations for her to pump breast milk for her newborn baby at work, nj.com reports.

Ariana Gossard, of the Browns Mills section of Pemberton, went on maternity leave in March because she was in the midst of a high-risk pregnancy, according to the report. She gave birth via Cesarean section on May 4, extending her maternity leave to eight weeks.

When she had a discussion with her employer in July, she was told her position doesn’t allow for breaks, according to the report. Last week, she says she was told there were no positions available for her.

The 2010 Affordable Care Act includes a provision that “requires employers to provide reasonable break time for an employee to express breast milk for her nursing child for one year following the child’s birth.”

However, America is one of the few places in which businesses are required to have these policies. There are about 830 million working mothers in the world and most don’t benefit from these policies, according to the United Nations, which called for more regulations of the topic worldwide during World Breastfeeding Week last week.

Gossard said she’s sought legal advice for her situation while searching for another job, according to the report.

Read more at nj.com.

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