For Immediate Release: Beaver Pond Debates "Pumping at Work"

February 29, 2008

Mayor Bibs Fisk

Beaver Pond, Vermont  

Next Tuesday, March 4, 2008, is Town Meeting Day in Vermont. Citizens of Beaver Pond will be assembling at the community center portion of the Edna St. Vincent LeMay Laudromat, Library, Community Center, and Lint Museum. Business is scheduled to commence sharply at 9:00 AM.

Among the issues to be addressed at this year's Town Meeting is a proposed local law, mirrored on the proposed state bill referenced in an article published in the Times Argus on February 22, 2008 (and reproduced below), that would allow women to pump their breasts while at work to produce breast milk for their babies. Under the belief that this measure could be perceived as sexist, Cousin Bones has proposed a law that would allow men to pump at work as well. Cousin Crystal, however, has come out publicly in opposition to Bones' proposal, apparently out of the fear that his pumping at work might interfere with the frequency of his at-home pumpings.

Also, a reminder to all voters that Beaver Pond will be holding its Presidential Primary on March 4. Mayor Bibs, co-chairperson of the local chapter of the "Heels for Hill" campaign to support Hillary Clinton for President, would like to remind everyone that those who support the campaign, by contributing financial support, placing a Hillary lawn sign on their law, or making a public reference to Barack Obama's preference for Islamic headware, may be eligible for a reduction in property taxes. Just remember, Barack may be inspiring, but Hillary can beat you up!

If you would like to add an issue for consideration at this year's town meeting, please contact Mayor Fisk by 4:00 PM, Monday, March 3.

MONTPELIER – Vermont already has a law protecting a woman's right to breastfeed in public. Now, health officials and civil rights advocates say the state needs to extend that protection to the workplace.

Women with children under 3 comprise the fastest-growing sector of Vermont's labor force, according to state statistics. Ensuring that new mothers have the freedom to pump breast milk at work, advocates say, will bolster the health of babies and improve the productivity of their mothers.

"Women that breastfeed at work are much happier women," Margaret O'Toole, a nurse and certified lactation consultant at Central Vermont Hospital, told lawmakers this week. "They're more productive, out less often for sick leave and more loyal to their employer."

Proposed legislation in the House Committee on General, Housing and Military Affairs would require Vermont employers to make a "reasonable effort" to provide new mothers with the time and space needed to pump breast milk.

For many new mothers, according to O'Toole, the only private space available at work is in the bathroom. Difficulty finding both the time and the space to pump milk, she said, often compels them to either quit work or stop feeding their babies breast milk.

"It's about a woman's rights in the workplace, but more importantly, it's about the health of Vermont," O'Toole said.

Both the World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that babies be fed breast milk exclusively for the first 12 months. Breastfeeding has been linked to lower rates of obesity, less use of prescription drugs and fewer hospital stays.

About 85 percent of Vermont mothers breastfeed their newborns, one of the highest rates in the country. By the time babies reach 6 months, however, the number has fallen to 16 percent.

"That's a tremendous falloff," said Wendy Love, head of the Vermont Commission on Women. "And I think it's fair to say that it is due in large part to women going back to work."

It is unclear how many mothers struggle to breastfeed at work in Vermont. Civil rights organizations aren't inundated with calls from women unable to pump milk at work, Love said, but she noted that many new mothers are hesitant to voice any concerns for fear of disrupting a workplace to which they've just returned.

Robert Appel is the executive director of the Vermont Human Rights Commission. He said the commission has fielded one complaint of an alleged violation of Vermont's public breastfeeding law – a high-profile case filed by a woman escorted from a plane at Burlington International Airport for breastfeeding her child on a plane.

The new law, he said, probably wouldn't spark a flurry of complaints, either.

"I don't think you're going to see a lot of complaints or lawsuits," Appel told representatives.

But with 80 percent of mothers with children under 3 working full time in Vermont, O'Toole s aid, the state ought to legislate workplace policies on breastfeeding.

"These women have enormous challenges," she said. "And it's important that we do whatever we can to support them."

Rep. Helen Head, a South Burlington Democrat and chair of the House Committee on General, Housing and Military Affairs, said there's a good chance the bill could become law before the end of the session.

But language in the bill will likely undergo revision. The proposed legislation requires employers to make a "reasonable effort" to provide time and appropriate space for expressing breast milk. But some wonder what the term really means. Rep. Don Turner, a Milton Republican, said he supports the bill, but he doesn't want to expose employers to undue financial burdens in order to comply with the law.

Appel said the law offers little guidance in terms of enforcement or, in some cases, intent.

"I don't know what 'reasonable effort' means, frankly," Appel said. "If I were being asked to enforce this law, I wouldn't know what to do."

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