Mar
03
Call to Action on Behalf of Working Mothers in Iowa
Call to Action on Behalf of Working Mothers in Iowa
24 other states, DC and Puerto Rico have laws requiring employer accommodation of expressing milk at work for employees who breastfeed. The Iowa Senate has passed the bill, and it is now eligible for debate in the House. However, without a show of support, it will likely not come to a vote in the House. Please let your Representative know your thoughts on the bill SF2270.
What the bill does:
- Requires that paid or unpaid break time be provided during which employee is permitted to express milk
- Requires employer to make a reasonable effort to provide a place other than a toilet stall, unless doing so creates an undue burden on employer
- Requires Iowa Workforce Develeopment to post info about how to accommodate on its website
- Requires any employee to seek mediation with employer before she might litigate over failure to comply
Some Benefits of Breastfeeding to Employees and their Families and the State of Iowa
- Significant health benefits for infants, such as lower rates of diabetes, leukemia, and ear and respiratory infections
- Decreased risk of diabetes, breast and ovarian cancer for mothers
- Lower health care costs and improved public health; Public Health Authorities Recommend Breastfeeding
- The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding for the first year of an infant’s life
- Iowa’s 2006 rate of breastfeeding for infants at six months lags the national rate by a full ten percent (33.2% IA; 43.4% US), according to the CDC
- Iowa ranks 37th nationally for rates of breastfeeding
- While 68% of new Iowa mothers initiate breastfeeding, fewer than half are still doing so after six months
Multiple studies have found specific employer benefits, including:
- Lactation support saves money for employers through lower health care costs and less absenteeism
- Health care costs were three times less for mothers in the company’s lactation program than for those who were not, with an average annual savings of $2,146 per participant (Mutual of Omaha)
- Aetna found $1,435 of savings per breastfed infant during the first year of life
- Lactation support results in a 77% reduction in lost work time due to infant illness, and even improves the attendance of fathers
- A 2006 study of 9 companies with lactation support found a 94.2% employee retention rate after maternity leave absence (59% national average)
