SACRAMENTO – California's Senate Bill 142, which aims to expand the rights of lactating mothers in the workplace, is causing concerns for some businesses.
Tom Manzo, founder and president of California Business and Industrial Alliance, said the law is a trap for businesses.
"I saw this plan and again cannot believe yet another trap will be set to sue employers," Manzo said. "Small- to medium-sized companies will have a difficult time affording this modification to begin with and most likely will not even have the space to do so."
CalChamber's Capital Insider said in a post that the bill goes too far in creating burdensome and unnecessary penalties, “opening the door to vexatious litigation.”
According to the chamber, the law would require employers to make building accommodations for a lactation area, which could cost $30,000 to $100,000, and force $100 penalties for violations.
The bill requires employers to keep track of break times allotted for expressing breast milk and creates another way for employers to be subject to Private Attorneys General Act liabilities, opponents of the bill say.
"This just adds another law to the over-bloated, 1,100-page labor law digest," Manzo said.
SB 142 was introduced by Sen. Scott Wiener (D-District 11).