The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act passed the Senate with bipartisan support on Thursday as amendments to the omnibus spending package.
Why it matters: It's a major milestone for women's workplace civil rights. Advocates have pushed for protections for pregnant workers for over a decade, arguing that thousands of women lose their jobs each year — either fired or placed on unpaid leave — because employers are under no obligation to offer pregnant workers reasonable accommodations.
Those would include things like extra bathroom breaks, the ability to sit while working a cash register or restrictions on how much weight they can lift.
What they're saying: "Employers can no longer treat pregnant workers like they are expendable once they find out they are expecting a child or need a modest accommodation to prevent serious health complications," said Dina Bakst, cofounder of A Better Balance, an advocacy group that has led efforts for the past decade to pass the bill, in a statement.
Details: The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act passed the House 315-101 in August 2021. After it was introduced in the Senate, it stalled out.
Bakst's group was leading a last push to get it passed in the lame duck. It passed on a 73-24 vote Thursday.
The Pump Act, which passed 92-5, guarantees workers the right to break time to express milk, another big issue — particularly for hourly workers who can't always get off the clock to pump.
What's next: The amendments are part of the roughly $1.7 trillion long-term, government funding bill, which is expected to pass the Senate and head to the House for quick passage ahead of a Friday deadline.
Thank you Axios for your summary of this important milestone.