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Keeping your community covered. We're committed to producing high-quality, fact-based news and information that gives you the facts in this community we call home. If our work has helped you stay informed, take action, or feel more connected to Windham County – please give now to help us reach our goal of raising $150,000 by December 31st.
While Brattleboro Food Co-op (BFC) workers are waiting to have their chance to vote yes for their union, they are not waiting to start improving their workplace.
This past week, staff members and their supporters met with BFC human resources to propose and win a suitable space for nursing mothers to express breast milk during their work day.
Under Section 7 of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), employers are required to provide “a place, other than a bathroom, that is shielded from view and free from intrusion from coworkers and the public, which may be used by an employee to express breast milk.” The Co-op, unfortunately, had mothers nurse in a bathroom or a utility closet.
“I would sit with my back against the door and balance a stepladder in between the door and the closest panel. That is where I propped my breast pump and just had to be very careful as to not let any of the tubing come undone,” says Jessica Cavanaugh, a nursing employee of the Co-op who would attempt to pump milk for her baby inside an electrical closet.
