Constellation Co-Steward: MomsRising (Tina Sherman)
​Constellation Co-Steward: U.S. Breastfeeding Committee (Cheryl Lebedevitch)

The Workplace Support Constellation works to address the barriers to breastfeeding for lactating workers, with a specific focus on reducing disparities and inequities. The Constellation works together to advance the following priority strategies:
  • Increase understanding of employer responsibilities and employee rights under federal and state law through an education campaign emphasizing existing implementation resources.
  • Identify gaps in the current laws and work to expand protections for all employees

Celebrating Our Collective Impact

On December 29, 2022, the President signed the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections (PUMP) for Nursing Mothers Act into law. The Break Time for Nursing Mothers law, passed in 2010, required employers to provide reasonable break time and a private, non-bathroom space for breastfeeding employees to pump during the work day. While this was an important step, nearly one in four women of childbearing age were not covered by the Break Time law. The Workplace Support Constellation developed model legislation to address this gap, which ultimately became the PUMP Act. Visit the Know Your Rights webpage for more information on new protections for pregnant and lactating workers!

Constellation Developed Resources and Collaborations

Culture Plan

The American Academy of Pediatrics published a resource titled "Culture Plan Supporting Breastfeeding Physicians and Trainees." The plan includes information about creating a culture of support for breastfeeding within the medical community and emphasizes support for breastfeeding medical practitioners at all levels of training as a part of medical practitioner wellness. AAP also released Culture Plan Infographics that highlight challenges for breastfeeding physicians and trainees and depict the four phases of creating a culture of breastfeeding support. This Culture Plan is intended to work in tandem with other components of the Physician Education and Training on Breastfeeding Action Plan.
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The USBC-affiliated Physician Education & Training Constellation and Workplace Support Constellation provided input and feedback at all stages of development.

Resources for Breastfeeding Parents

To ensure that as many employees as possible have information about their workplace rights as well as practical solutions to make breastfeeding work during the pandemic and beyond, the Workplace Support Constellation developed a printable document titled "Your COVID-19 Workplace Rights: Breastfeeding and Lactation" for free download and distribution.
Breastfeeding coalitions and other interested organizations were invited to develop and disseminate co-branded versions of the resource. Organizations that participated are listed below.
Participating organizations
  • 1,000 Days
  • Alimentación Segura Infantil
  • BreastfeedLA
  • California Breastfeeding Coalition
  • Center for Health Equity, Education, and Research
  • Coalition of Oklahoma Breastfeeding Advocates
  • Connecticut Breastfeeding Coalition
  • Florida Breastfeeding Coalition
  • HealthConnect One - National
  • HealthConnect One - Illinois
  • Healthy Children Project
  • Indigenous Women Rising
  • Kansas Breastfeeding Coalition​
  • La Leche League USA
  • Let's Talk Delta Baby Cafe​
  • Louisiana Breastfeeding Coalition
  • Maine State Breastfeeding Coalition
  • Mothers' Milk Bank at Austin
  • Nebraska Breastfeeding Coalition
  • New Mexico Breastfeeding Task Force
  • Ohio Breastfeeding Alliance
  • Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere
  • Tarrant County Breastfeeding Coalition
  • Wisconsin Breastfeeding Coalition
The Workplace Support Constellation provided input and feedback at all stages of development. Special thanks to the Kansas Breastfeeding Coalition, Mom2Mom Global, and the American Academy of Pediatrics for their contribution.

Sign On Letters and Public Comments

PUBLIC COMMENTS ON PROPOSED PREGNANT WORKERS FAIRNESS ACT (PWFA) REGULATIONS
​Our partners at WorkLife Law, A Better Balance, the National Partnership for Women and Families, the ACLU, Legal Aid at Work, and the National Women's Law Center carefully analyzed the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity proposed regulations on the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and developed template comments. The USBC-affiliated Workplace Support Constellation then held a conversation about how the template comments could further emphasize the needs of lactating workers, and developed additional template comments specifically for the lactation field based on this feedback. These were brought together to form the USBC public comments and distributed to USBC members and partners to serve as a template.  
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SIGN-ON LETTERS URGING SUPPORT FOR THE PROVIDING URGENT MATERNAL PROTECTIONS (PUMP) ACT
The Workplace Support Constellation developed model legislation to address gaps in federal protections for lactating workers. This model language became the basis for the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections (PUMP) for Nursing Mothers Act which expanded the right to reasonable break time and a private, non-bathroom space to express breast milk at work. The Workplace Support Constellation was the driving force behind the passage of this legislation, mobilizing the field to support this critical legislation, including through the following organizational sign-on letters:
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LETTER TO THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR HEALTH & THE OFFICE ON WOMEN'S HEALTH ON SUPPORTING NURSING MOMS AT WORK RESOURCE
The USBC-affiliated Workplace Support Constellation coordinated a sign on letter in response to the Office on Women's Health (OWH) revision to the Supporting Nursing Moms at Work: Employer Solutions resource. The original resource, launched in 2014, was an on-line searchable, solutions-oriented resource, featuring a compendium of written content, photos, and videos demonstrating how real employers in 22 industry groups have utilized innovative, creative methods and strategies to provide breastfeeding support for their employees. In August 2018, OWH made significant revisions, including temporary removal of the Spanish language content and videos, removal of photographs showing industry-specific solutions to providing time and space accommodations, and removal of the majority of the videos from the Supporting Nursing Moms at Work webpages. The sign on letter requests an explanation on why critical content was removed as part of the revision of the OWH resource; urges OWH to immediately reinstate the original resource with content in both English and Spanish; and to take swift steps to develop a dissemination plan to ensure employers are aware of this valuable resource. OWH responded to the joint letter in December 2019.
SIGN-ON LETTER ON PROPOSED TITLE IX REGULATIONS FOR LACTATING STUDENTS AND STAFF
In September 2022, the Pregnant Scholar worked with members of the USBC-affiliated Workplace Support Constellation and other stakeholders to develop a joint letter for organizations and community leaders in response to proposed regulations from the U.S. Department of Labor on Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972, the landmark law prohibiting sex discrimination in education. The joint letter celebrates the proposal's recognition of lactation as a pregnancy-related condition and proposed requirements for lactation break time and space, and provides recommendations for further strengthening the Title IX regulations to better support lactating students.

Access the Title IX Lactation Coalition Sign-On Letter here.​

SIGN-ON LETTER URGING CONGRESS TO SUPPORT 12 WEEKS OF FEDERAL PAID FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE FOR ALL WORKERS
The USBC-Affiliated Paid Leave Constellation invited organizations to sign on to a letter to Members of Congress highlighting how increased access to paid family leave can increase breastfeeding rates and improve health outcomes. The letter states that signing organizations stand ready to work with policymakers to establish at least 12 weeks of job-protected, paid family & medical leave as a self-funded insurance program that is affordable and cost-effective for workers, employers and the government, and is accessible to all workers, regardless of gender/marital status, and including military servicemembers. The letter was signed by a total of 67 organizations: 41 international & national organizations and 26 regional, state, and local organizations.
SIGN-ON LETTER URGING LEGISLATORS TO SEEK CORRECTION FOR GAPS IN THE MILITARY PARENTAL LEAVE PROGRAM
​The USBC-Affiliated Paid Leave Constellation coordinated a sign on letter urging legislators to seek correction for gaps in the Military Parental Leave Program (MPLP), established by the Department of Defense (DOD) in May 2018. When Congress passed the National Defense Authorization Act of 2017 they included language specifically instructing the DOD to establish a new parental leave program with the goal of creating a universal benefit applied equally to all members of the active armed services. After the circulation of the sign-on letter the Marines Corps updated their parental leave program policy. The letter was signed by a total of 50 organizations: 35 international & national organizations and 15 regional, state, & local organizations.

Constellation Webinars

Click each image to be taken to the corresponding video.

New Rights for Lactating Students: Supporting Lactating Students Under Title IX

​Beginning in August 2024, students nationwide will have the legal right to lactation breaks, space, and other accommodations. To help education institutions, lactation support providers, and advocates understand what the new protections mean for lactating students, this webinar, presented by the Workplace Support Constellation, offers an overview of the new legal obligations as well as practical solutions for educational institutions looking to add lactation spaces and other supports for their employees and students.

PUMP Act Briefing

The Providing Urgent Maternal Protections (PUMP) for Nursing Mothers Act was signed into law on December 29, 2022. In February 2023, A Better Balance, the American Civil Liberties Union, Center for WorkLife Law, MomsRising, National WIC Association, and U.S. Breastfeeding Committee co-hosted the virtual PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act Briefing. View the recording to learn about this important policy advancement, including the full story of the bill’s passage, details on the law's protections and what it means for employers and workers, and a discussion on next steps for our collective movement to secure workplace lactation protections for every worker in the nation. ​

Breastfeeding Works: Legal Protections for Lactating Employees During the Pandemic & Beyond

The webinar gives breastfeeding parents and those who support them the information and tools they need to continue breastfeeding after returning to work or school. The expert panelists will cover the national and state laws that protect breastfeeding parents from discrimination, the laws that require lactation accommodations at work and school, and particular challenges and options for workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Breastfeeding Works: How to Support Nursing Employees and Students

The inaugural webinar in the Breastfeeding Works series gives lactation support providers and other breastfeeding advocates the information and tools they need to counsel breastfeeding workers and students. The expert panelists cover the national and state laws that protect breastfeeding parents from discrimination and the laws that require lactation accommodations at work and school.

Breastfeeding Works: Legal Protections for Lactating Employees & Students in the Healthcare Industry

The expert panelists cover the national and state laws that protect breastfeeding parents from discrimination and the laws that require lactation accommodations at work and school. The panelists offer workers, students, and their advocates solutions to the common challenges faced by breastfeeding health care workers and students.

Everything You Need to Know About Workplace Breastfeeding Law

The USBC, the Center for WorkLife Law, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division (WHD) came together on July 12, 2017 for the "Everything You Need to Know About Workplace Breastfeeding Law" webinar to discuss the laws protecting breastfeeding employees and the tools that can help support them.

The Art & Practice of Facilitation: Designing Purposeful Meetings

The second webinar in the 2019 Collective Impact Webinar series explored best practices for meeting design and facilitation in collaborative groups. Cheryl Lebedevitch, steward of the Workplace Support Constellation, and Andrea Serano, a participant in the Workplace Support Constellation, shared about how ​meeting design and approach has changed over time.

Constellation Participants

Advisory:

  • American Civil Liberties Union
  • DHHS, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  • DHHS, Office on Women's Health

Voting:

  • 1,000 Days
  • A Better Balance
  • Alaska Breastfeeding Coalition
  • American Academy of Family Physicians
  • American Academy of Pediatrics
  • American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
  • American Public Health Association
  • Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
  • Association of State Public Health Nutritionists
  • Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses
  • BreastfeedLA
  • California Breastfeeding Coalition
  • Center for WorkLife Law
  • Every Mother, Inc.
  • Global Military Lactation Community
  • HealthConnect One
  • Healthy Children Project​
  • Healthy Horizons
  • International Childbirth Education Association
  • Kansas Breastfeeding Coalition
  • La Leche League USA
  • Minnesota Breastfeeding Coalition
  • MomsRising
  • Montana State Breastfeeding Coalition
  • National Partnership for Women & Families
  • National WIC Association
  • New Hampshire Breastfeeding Task Force
  • New Mexico Breastfeeding Task Force
  • Ohio Breastfeeding Alliance
  • Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere
  • U.S. Breastfeeding Committee
  • United States Lactation Consultant Association
  • Wisconsin Breastfeeding Coalition
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