Breastfeeding Mom Sues Her Company After Being 'Penalized' for Pumping at Work

Olivera Krstanoska is one of the first women to ever file a class action lawsuit in regards to pumping breast milk at work, The Daily Beast reports. The microbiologist worked at Avon’s Global Research & Development Center in New York from 2014 to 2016 and claims her coworkers “marginalized and penalized” her for taking short breaks to pump breast milk.

Not only is that discrimination completely unfair, it’s also unacceptable. The New York Department of Labor guidelines entitle new mothers to 20-minute breaks every three hours.

The unfair treatment doesn’t end there. She also claims Avon didn’t provide her with a private place to refrigerate her breast milk, and told her to store it in the lab refrigerator. This ultimately led Krstanoska to choose to stop breastfeeding her baby earlier than she planned.

The mom’s complaint joins an existing suit, previously filed by Caroline Ruiz, a former Avon executive who says Avon fired her for being pregnant.

Krstanoska’s claims are upsetting for a number of reasons. For starters, women should never feel like they are being punished for their decision to have kids. Additionally, backed by a recent study, the poor treatment the former employee received from her coworkers may have even affected her breastfeeding success. The research claims support at work is key to overcoming initial discomforts or obstacles when you’re breastfeeding, which, according to the claims Krstanoska filed, the mom was not privy to.

Make sure you know what you’re entitled to if you’re a breastfeeding mom returning to work. And if you’re weary of making the transition, take comfort from other working moms’ breastfeeding success stories.

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