On May 20th, Washington became the fifth state in the United States to enact paid lactation breaks– a major step toward health equity for postpartum workers. Starting in 2027, the landmark bill will also ensure that all pregnant and postpartum workers have an enforceable right to reasonable accommodations.
When the law goes into effect, all employers in Washington State will be required to provide their workers with full compensation at their regular pay rate for lactation breaks. This includes time spent traveling to a lactation space. Washington previously required employers to provide workers with lactation breaks for the first two years after birth, but most workers had to sacrifice wages to take the pumping breaks– making breastfeeding unaffordable for many low and middle-income families.
The new law also expands Washington’s workplace accommodation protections to include all workers; previously the law only included employers with at least 15 employees. Critically, these new protections were adopted alongside changes to make it easier for workers to seek accountability by giving them the ability to sue or file complaints with the state Department of Labor.
“These changes show the power of states to protect the health of pregnant and postpartum workers and their families,” said Jessica Lee, Co-Director of WorkLife Law. “By providing paid lactation breaks, Washington has made it possible for workers to continue to nurse their child without worrying whether they will be able to make ends meet. WorkLife Law commends Governor Ferguson and the lactation advocates who moved this legislation forward, raising the bar for states across the country.”
WorkLife Law is proud to have led the field in calling for paid lactation breaks as well as resourcing state advocates with model language and technical assistance to advance paid break proposals. For more information on best practices and model policies for paid lactation breaks, see Making Lactation Breaks Affordable for All Workers (last updated in 2024).
For more information about existing law, model policies, or related advocacy efforts, please contact the Center for WorkLife Law at policy@worklifelaw.org.