I. REFERENCES AND RELATED POLICIES
A. UC PPSM 31 – Hours of Work
B. UC PPSM 12 – Nondiscrimination in Employment
II. SCOPE
This procedure applies to UCLA employees who need lactation accommodation in accordance with the following state laws:
A. California Assembly Concurrent Resolution ACR 155 (1998) encourages employers (including the University of California) to support the practice of breastfeeding, to accommodate the needs of lactating employees, and to provide facilities for breastfeeding and expressing milk.
B. Section 1030 et seq. was added to the California Labor Code on January 1, 2002, with the passage of California Assembly Bill 1025 (2001). It requires all employers to provide nursing mothers a reasonable amount of time to express breast milk for their infant children. The time may run concurrently with the employee’s paid rest break.
C. The law also requires employers to provide appropriate space, in proximity to the lactating employee's work area, for the nursing mother to express milk in private.
III. UCLA GUIDELINES
The University is committed to promoting a family-friendly work environment by providing programs and services to help employees achieve success at work and in their personal lives. To that effect, employees and management are encouraged to be accepting of nursing mothers, and departments will provide a location and a reasonable amount of time to accommodate their lactation needs pursuant to state laws.
A. Lactation Breaks
1. The time may run concurrently with an employee’s paid break time.
2. The University must make separate time available if it is not possible for the lactation time to run concurrently with the employee’s existing break time, but it may be unpaid.
3. It is assumed that providing lactation time will not seriously disrupt University operations.
B. Lactation Facilities
1. Appropriate private space shall be provided with reasonable efforts made for the location to be in close proximity to the nursing mother’s work area.
2. The location may be the place where the nursing mother normally works if there is adequate privacy (e.g., the employee’s private office or a conference room that can be secured).
3. Areas such as restrooms, closets or storage areas are not considered appropriate spaces for lactation purposes.
IV. PROCEDURES
A. Lactation Accommodation Requests
1. An employee who has need for lactation accommodation should inform her supervisor and discuss any relevant workload or scheduling issues.
2. Supervisors who receive a lactation accommodation request are advised to do the following:
a. Review available space in the department and prepare to provide appropriate nearby space and break time.
b. If the supervisor is unable to locate appropriate space to meet an employee’s request, the Employee Relations Consultant in Campus Human Resources or Health System Human Resources should be contacted for advice and assistance.
B. Compliance
1. The University may refuse to accommodate a nursing mother only if its operations would be “seriously disrupted” by providing lactation time in accordance with applicable laws.
2. Any intent to refuse accommodation by a department head or supervisor must be made on a case-by-case basis and must include prior consultation with Employee Relations at Campus Human Resources or Health System Human Resources.
3. Nursing mothers who feel they have been denied appropriate accommodation are encouraged to contact Employee Relations at Campus Human Resources or Health System Human Resources.
