Maine Workplaces Support Nursing Moms Poster

For more information or if you believe that  your rights have been violated, contact:	
Maine Department of LaborBureau of Labor Standards  45 State House Station 
Augusta, Maine 04333-0045  www.maine.gov/labor/bls
207-623-7900 or 207-623-7930 
Maine Human Rights Commission
www.state.me.us/mhrc/ or 207-624-6290  TTY users call Maine Relay 711	
rev. 01/16	
Maine Supports Nursing Moms	
This poster is provided at no cost by the Maine Department of Labor and may be copied.	
Bureau of Labor Standards	
The Maine Department of Labor provides equal opportunity in 
employment and programs. Auxiliary aids and services are available to 
individuals with disabilities upon request.	
Employers of nursing mothers, for three years after the 
birth of a child, must:
 • provide adequate unpaid break time, or    
  permit an employee to use paid break      
  or meal time each day to express breast    
  milk for her nursing child.
•  make reasonable efforts to provide a clean room  
  or other location, other than a bathroom,   
  where an employee may express breast    
  milk in privacy.
An employer may be exempted from this 
section if providing time or an appropriate  
private space for expressing breast milk would     
substantially disrupt the employer’s operations.
 
An employer shall not retaliate or discriminate      
against an employee who exercises the right      
provided under this section. 
 
How can employers support nursing mothers?   • Develop a workplace policy, including  
  identifying who oversees implementation, and   
  inform employees of new policy. 
•  Identify a clean, private place with access    
  to electric outlets and a chair. 
•  Offer flexible breaks.
What can employees do to make nursing in the 
workplace easier? • Understand Maine’s Nursing Mothers in the    
  Workplace Law. 
•  Create a “back to work” plan before your baby    
  is born.  
•  Determine scheduling and support needs    
  and talk to your employer as soon as possible. 
•  Do a workplace walk-through and suggest ideas. Why do Maine workplaces support nursing moms? 
• Average annual savings equals $400 per    
  breastfed baby (lower medical costs with    
  fewer health insurance claims).
•  Reduces employee turnover.
•  Lowers employee absenteeism.
•  Improves employee productivity.
•  Raises employee morale and company   loyalty. 
Additional breastfeeding protection in Maine:
The Nursing in Public Law (5MRSA §4634)  
provides protection for women who nurse in public.  
A mother may breastfeed her baby in any location, public or 
private, where the mother is otherwise authorized to be.
For more information on working and pumping visit: www.wicforme.com
www.workandpump.com www.llli.org	
An employer who is found to 
have violated this law through a 
hearing process must pay a civil 
penalty of $100– $500 for every   
violation.	
This document is a collaborative effort of the Maine WIC  
Nutrition Program and the Maine Department of Labor.