LIRR to install breastfeeding stations
Queens assemblywoman announces the stations will be coming to Penn Station this fall
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
The Long Island Rail Road
(LIRR) will be making proper
accommodations for nursing
mothers and families with
the installation of private
breastfeeding stations at Penn
Station, Assemblywoman Nily
Rozic announced last week.
The lactation pods are
scheduled to be installed
this fall and will be available
upon request to the waiting
room attendant.
The announcement
follows a letter sent by
Rozic and Assemblywoman
Kimberly Jean-Pierre
last year expressing
concern over access to
breastfeeding stations that
were raised during a tour
of the East Side Access
infrastructure project.
“Designated lactation sites
provide working families with
the support they need as they
re-enter the workforce and
navigate the ever-changing
dynamics of work-life balance,”
Rozic said. “I am pleased
that the MTA has agreed to
make these accommodations
at Penn Station and will
consider expanding access
to lactation pods across
different stations.”
Jean-Pierre said the
“initiative will provide
families with the peace of
mind knowing they will be
able to properly cater to their
infants’ needs on the go.”
In their October 2018 letter,
the lawmakers wrote that as
they learned of the amenities
planned for the new LIRR
terminal below Grand Central,
they became concerned
over accommodations for
breastfeeding mothers.
They noted that after
returning to work from
parental leave, many nursing
mothers “will want to continue
providing breast milk to their
infants, and we are seeing
more employers supporting
Assemblywoman Nily Rozic
their employees who
breastfeed by implementing
workplace lactation facilities
and policies.”
The lactation pod is made
by Mamava, a company based
in Vermont specializing in
lactation space design and
manufacturing. It will be fully
accessible to all customers
in accordance with the
Americans with Disabilities
Act, and will have bench
seating, shelves, mirrors, coat
hooks, occupancy-activated
lighting, and dual-outlet
USB ports.
The MTA says the upcoming
installation will be the latest
in a series of customerfriendly
initiatives adopted by
the LIRR such as LIRR Care —
a program allowing customers
with special mobility needs
to call ahead to receive
personalized assistance on
trains at terminals. The MTA
will also be running a pilot
program for Help Points, a
kiosk on station platforms
with a highly visible strobe
light that customers can use
to alert crews of an incoming
train that a customer needs
special attention boarding
a train.
Meanwhile, a new
report by the NYC Human
Rights Commission on
July 24 on pregnancy and
caregiving discrimination
in the workplace provided
testimony from people
across industries, medical
professionals, and
advocates — all of whom
detailed numerous obstacles
for workers who require
reasonable accommodations
based on pregnancy, need
to express breastmilk, or
caregiving obligations.
The report found that
low-wage, domestic, and
immigrant workers are
among the most vulnerable
populations when it comes to
requesting accommodations
from an employer, leaving
many to choose between a
healthy pregnancy or family
and their jobs.
The public hearing was
held in January where
recommendations were
made by medical experts,
stakeholders and advocates.
These recommendations
include expanding the NYC
Human Rights Law to apply
pregnancy protections
to all workers. It further
recommends an increase in
community outreach and
education to inform people
of their rights, expansion
of NY State Paid Family
Leave, and the right to
reasonable accommodations
for someone caring for minor
children or family members
with disabilities.
Pregnancy, breastfeeding,
and caregiving protections
in the workplace have long
been a key issue area for
the NYC Commission on
Human Rights.
In 2016, the Commission
issued a legal enforcement
guidance on pregnancy
discrimination detailing
specific protections in place
for pregnant and breastfeeding
employees, and the obligations
of employers to accommodate
pregnant workers.
In 2018, the City Council
passed Local laws 185 and 186,
mandating that employers
provide breastfeeding
employees lactation
accommodations such as a
private space to pump and
reasonable time to express
breast milk. The Commission
published multiple model
lactation accommodation
policies to address different
workplace structures so
employers could easily find a
policy to fit their needs.
“Whether you are
pregnant, a new parent,
or caring for your own
parents, everyone deserves
to meet their caregiving
obligations without fear
of reprisal at work,” said
Carmelyn Malalis, chair and
commissioner of the New York
City Commission on Human
Rights. “No one should have
to choose between their job
and their family. We will
continue to fight for the
rights of workers who are
pregnant, breastfeeding, or
caring for a loved one, across
all sectors, until everyone is
protected.”
Reach reporter Carlotta
Mohamed by email at
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.
com or by phone at ( 718) 260–4526.
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