Under both the Pregnancy Disability Leave law and the California Labor Code, employers are required to provide a private space (that is not a bathroom) near the employee’s workspace and free from the intrusion of others so that the employee can pump breastmilk. Employers must also give employees reasonable breaks when an employee has the need to express milk. The California Labor Code also specifies that the lactation space must be clean, have access to electricity, and have a seat, a counter for a breast pump, access to a sink and a refrigerator or, if a refrigerator is not possible, a cooler or other device appropriate for storing breast milk.
