Join the PUMP Act Week of Action Kickoff: Email Your Representative Now!
Nearly 9 million women of childbearing age are not covered by the Break Time for Nursing Mothers law, the federal provision that requires break time and a private space for breastfeeding employees to pump during the workday.
The PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act would strengthen the Break Time law by expanding coverage to all lactating workers who were inexplicably left out of the original law.
This bill is long overdue. It’s time to take care of working families by passing the PUMP Act: join us in taking action.
~ the USBC Advocacy Team
The Providing Urgent Maternal Protections (PUMP) for Nursing Mothers Act (H.R. 3110) is likely going to the House floor for a vote sometime this week (Tuesday, September 28-Friday, October 1).
This is a critical moment for the PUMP Act and we MUST raise our voices and make sure there is a strong vote in favor of passage. Join the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee this week for a PUMP Act Week of Action by calling, tweeting, and emailing your Representative in the House and asking them to “vote YES for the PUMP Act.”
The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee has developed a partner toolkit with sample emails, social media messages, and unbranded graphics to make participation as simple as possible. They will continue to update the toolkit with additional resources as they become available and will send an email as soon as the vote is scheduled.
Thank you for your ongoing support of the PUMP Act and for all you do to improve the infant feeding journey for families. None of this would be possible without your support.
Updates from USBC on the PUMP Act
The U.S. House of Representatives is preparing to vote on the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections (PUMP) for Nursing Mothers Act (H.R. 3110). Nearly 9 million women of childbearing age are not covered by the Break Time for Nursing Mothers law, the federal provision that requires break time and a private space for breastfeeding employees to pump during the workday. The PUMP Act would strengthen the Break Time law by expanding coverage to all lactating workers.
- ABB/ACLU/CWLL/NWA/USBC: A Better Balance, the American Civil Liberties Union, Center for WorkLife Law, National WIC Association, and the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee have mobilized a nationwide PUMP Act Week of Action to urge members of the U.S. House of Representatives to vote YES on the PUMP Act. It’s not too late to join in and take action! Access the partner toolkit for sample emails, social media messages, and unbranded graphics.
- Email: Use the USBC action tool “Urge Congress to Protect the Right to Pump Milk During the Work Day” to email your members of Congress with just a few clicks.
- Call: Call on members of the U.S. House of Representatives to vote YES on the #PUMPAct. Text PUMP to 747464 (provided by MomsRising) or call 1-855-880-2155 (provided ACLU) and you will be connected to your Representative.
- Tweet: Join the conversation and share your support at hashtags #PUMPAct and #BreastfeedingIsBipartisan.
- AND: The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics released an individual action tool titled “Tell Congress to Support the PUMP Act.” Individuals can use the tool to contact their U.S. House member and urge them to support the PUMP Act.
- Chamber of Commerce: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce published a “U.S. Chamber Letter on H.R. 3110, the PUMP Act.” The letter emphasizes the Chamber’s strong support for the PUMP Act.
- MomsRising: MomsRising launched an individual action tool titled “Support ALL Breastfeeding & Working Moms.” Individuals can use the tool to connect with MomsRising’s #IPumpedHere campaign and contact their Representative in support of the PUMP Act.
- The White House: The Executive Office of the President, Office of Management and Budget, published a statement of administration policy in strong support of the PUMP Act. The statement encourages the House to pass the PUMP Act and highlights the bipartisan and commonsense nature of the bill.
PUMP Act News & Views from USBC
- ACLU blog post: “The PUMP Act Would Protect Nursing Workers Like Me”
- Hampton Roads Messenger: “Statement of Administration Policy on H.R. 3110 – PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act”
- Reuters: “White House backs workplace rights bill for nursing mothers”
- USA Today: “How the PUMP for Nursing Mother’s Act Protects Working Women“
Paid Family and Medical Leave from USBC
Inclusive and comprehensive paid family and medical leave is a crucial tool in establishing and sustaining breastfeeding. Research shows a relationship between the decision to start and continue breastfeeding and the length of maternity leave available, and that parents who return to full-time employment shortly after giving birth are less likely to breastfeed as long as they intend. There has been significant activity in this policy area in recent weeks. Highlights from the field on paid leave include:
- BLS: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released the “National Compensation Survey: Employee Benefits in the United States, March 2021.” The report presents 2021 estimates of the incidence and key provisions of employer-sponsored benefits for workers, broken out by worker and establishment characteristics, including paid leave.
- Congress: The House Budget Committee advanced the Build Back Better Act, including the establishment of paid family and medical leave. The committee reported the legislation to the House of Representatives with a favorable recommendation. Read the press release.
- New America: New America published a blog post titled “Even In the Midst of a Brutal Pandemic and Caregiving Crisis, Fewer than 1 in 4 U.S. Workers Has Paid Family Leave at Their Jobs. The blog post examines the information provided in the National Compensation Survey and highlights uneven access to paid family leave.
- NPWF: The National Partnership for Women & Families launched an action tool titled “Congress: Keep paid leave funding in the Build Back Better Act.” Individuals can use the tool to connect with their legislators by phone to urge support for paid family and medical leave.
- Time’s Up: The Time’s Up Foundation published a report titled “How a National Paid Leave Policy Will Benefit the Economy.” The report examines the economic impact of national paid leave by modeling how a national plan would boost national income. The authors found that a national plan would directly stimulate the economy, generate economic growth, and especially benefit women, people of color, and low-wage workers.
- USBC: The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee launched an action tool titled “Call on Congress to Support Paid Leave.” Individuals can use the tool to email their members of Congress to ask them to support establishing a comprehensive and inclusive national paid family leave program in order to improve infant feeding outcomes.