On December 9, 2022, Governor Hochul signed legislation expanding New York’s required accommodations for breastfeeding in the workplace.
New York employers were already required to provide employees with reasonable break times and to make reasonable efforts to provide a space for employees to pump breast milk.
The new law expands the existing accommodations by requiring all New York employers to provide employees with convenient access to a private pumping space that includes access to running water, electricity and a working space. The space must be separate from a restroom and employees must be allowed to access the space each time they have a reasonable need to pump breast milk. If the workplace has access to refrigeration, employees must be able to access the refrigerator for the purpose of storing expressed milk.
