The Utah Legislature has passed SB 59, which amends the Utah Antidiscrimination Act to provide additional protections for pregnant and breastfeeding women in the workplace.

This law requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to employees upon request for conditions related to pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding, unless doing so would create an “undue hardship.”  Employers are

For many new moms returning to work after the birth of a child, pumping breast-milk is considered to be a necessary evil.  Necessary because pumping ensures that these mothers’ babies can continue to experience the many benefits of breast-milk, and helps the mothers to maintain their milk supplies, relieves painful engorgement, and prevents potentially serious

Oregon’s 76th Legislative Assembly convened on February 1, 2011. The Legislature has wasted no time introducing a multitude of new labor and employment bills, some with potentially far reaching effects. Below is a (non-exhaustive) list of some of the more interesting bills up for debate:

Civil Rights:

  • HB 2035 — Standardizes statute of limitations period for filing

We expected many changes in federal labor and employment law in 2009 – for the first time in years, Democrats control the White House and both houses of Congress and have the political ability to make significant reforms.  However, not much has happened in 2009: we have only significant labor and employment bill signed into law.  To be fair, President Obama and the Congress have had other things to worry about:  a war or two, a lousy economy, health care and selecting a new White House dog to name a few.

But, the 2009-2010 legislative session is still not over, and Congress may yet pass some of the many labor and employment-related bills still pending.  Employers may want to take note, as some of these may become law before the end of the session in 2010.  Click on "continue reading" for a complete list.Continue Reading 2009 Mid-Term Federal Legislative Update

Oregon Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley has announced he will today introduce the Breastfeeding Promotion Act (BPA) in the U.S. Senate.  The BPA would  guarantee working mothers the right to breast-feed their children at their workplaces.  Click here to read about Merkley’s proposal on Oregonlive.com. 

The bill is identical to one introduced yesterday in the House by Rep. Carolyn Maloney