Two Frontier Airlines flight attendants are suing their employer for forbidding them to pump breast milk while working on flights.
Stacy Rewitzer of Denver and Jo Roby of Boise, Idaho claim they were forced to either stop breastfeeding or take unpaid leave. Like many companies in the USA, Frontier does not offer paid parental leave.
Under the 1993 Family Medical Leave Act, the FAs cannot be fired for taking time off related to their pregnancy or child birth, but this leave is unpaid. Workers wishing to take paid time off must use sick or vacation days. That’s problematic because Frontier Airlines has a “dependability policy” that penalizes employees for time off, putting them in greater danger of losing their job.
As a result of Frontier’s actions, I have had to choose between performing my job and earning a living on the one hand, and continuing to breastfeed my child on the other.
-Flight Attendant Jo Roby
Frontier bristles at the lawsuit, stating FAs agreed to this policy in union-backed contract negotiations and its policy comports to state and federal law. Frontier also asserts that it does make reasonable accommodations available to its FAs:
We have made good-faith efforts to identity and provide rooms and other secure locations for use by breast-feeding flight attendants during their duty travel.
-Frontier Airlines
The lawsuit acknowledged that Frontier did attempt to find airport locations to breast pump, but with short turn times and spread out gates there was rarely time: it was an illusory benefit.
Therefore, the lawsuit demands Frontier allow FAs to breast pump in the air during flight or offer an interim-based ground job so leave does not become necessary in order to breast feed.
CONCLUSION
I am well aware that pumping is a full-time job: my wife went through it. Therefore I understand the concern behind this lawsuit that mothers truly do not have a viable choice. At the same time, I’m not sure adopting European-style paid paternity leave is even worth discussing in this political era, despite campaign promises.
(top image: Bill Larkins / Wikimedia Commons)
“the lawsuit demands Frontier allow FAs to breast pump in the air during flight” Are these people delusional? They are there to serve the flight and help out should there be an emergency, how are they supposed to do that while pumping breast milk? I never thought I’d defend Frontier, but it seems like they went out of their way to accommodate them. Maybe they just need to find a new line of work instead of making unreasonable demands from their employer.
It’s not only in Europe, Canada has maternity and paternity paid leave of absence.
Not sure if this included the two female flight officers that are also suing Frontier……maybe they’re letting the FA’s win the case first so that the will automatically be included ?
They still have their jobs if they take unpaid leave – fair enough. How dare they demand Frontier pay them while they do something else (unrelated) on the job. Honestly if you have children that you (by choice) want to breastfeed or pump milk for, how is this anyone else’s problem ? My God, if your children’s demands are such (breastfeeding), it might be a good idea to stay home with them and do your milking and pumping and feeding there. This way you prove you are totally devoted to them and that they come first in your life. Or how about this concept – just wean them off breastmilk and put them on a bottle. Duh. Surely there is someone home to feed them when you are flying so what is the problem ? The old saying still holds – you can’t serve two masters. What next, a babysitting row onboard that you can put your children into as you work the flight ?,….a pre-K setup as well ? Infuriating to say the least.