To: President Donald Trump, The United States House of Representatives, and The United States Senate
Nursing in Aviation
Amending the Railway Labor Act to include a Nursing Mother's Clause that allows women the opportunity to stay home for a "minimum" of six months (without punitive action) in order to breastfeed a child while requiring all airlines/airports to uphold the Break Time For Nursing Mothers Law (In accordance with all guidelines).
Why is this important?
I am a Nursing, Commercial Airline Pilot. I have been chosen to personally represent Pilot and Flight Attendant Mothers both past and present regarding Breastfeeding policies in aviation. I have also been asked to formally submit concerns and possible resolutions for Nursing Mothers in the airline industry
First, I would like to state how grateful I am that you are lending an open ear. Breastfeeding and/or pumping milk is a very sensitive subject for many women in the industry (both Pilots and Flight Attendants). Because of company policies regarding Leave Time, Pay and Scheduling, many women feel they are forced to choose between what is best for their child and their careers. My hope is that we can work together to design a resolution that benefits the Industry as well as Nursing Mothers.
We do not have a 9-5 job like many mothers, and because of scheduling and privacy issues it becomes nearly impossible to pump in order to maintain a sufficient breast milk supply for our children. We are gone up to 5 days at a time and shifts are up to 14 or more hours with delays, weaving in and out of different airports and mostly sitting alongside another male Pilot in the cockpit. There are no private rooms on an aircraft without a bathroom stall present and even if this were acceptable, the sound of the pump may be clearly heard in the cockpit, the front galley and the first 3 or more rows (begging for harassment and strange looks). I have also been advised that the FAA does not condone pumping on an aircraft, but cannot disallow a mother to partake in an "Emergency Pump" if it is to cause a safety concern because of pain or discomfort.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics a mother should "exclusively" (receiving no other nourishment) breastfeed an infant for a "minimum" of 6 months and introduce a complement of foods thereafter, while continuing to breastfeed for a "minimum" of 12 months.
In our jobs, we generally have no privacy until we reach the hotel. The Airline Industry does not adhere to the federally mandated "Break Time for Nursing Mothers" Law, nor do they modify our positions so that we may continue to collect a paycheck while on Maternity Leave. In fact, most airlines do not mention "Maternity Leave" or "Breastfeeding" anywhere in the contract or company handbooks (it is considered a disability) . We are given no alternative schedule when we return to work and we are forced to exhaust FMLA to cover Maternity Leave which begins around 27.5 weeks of pregnancy because we are not able to perform our regular duties (according to one head of Human Resources). We are caught between a rock an a hard place. (Read more about Break Time for Nursing Mothers Law: http://www.usbreastfeeding.org/Employment/WorkplaceSupport/WorkplaceSupportinFederalLaw/tabid/175/Default.aspx)
After FMLA has been exhausted we are given a work "occurrence" (which can lead to punitive action) and we are placed on non-FMLA medical leave, whereby we must produce the Human Resources Department with a "Physician's Statement" every 30 days (including a diagnosis and prognosis for injury and illness as well as an expected return-to-work date). This pile of paperwork ends up being a headache for the Pediatrician, OBGYN and the mothers. On top of this paperwork, most employers/insurers do not consider "breastfeeding" a viable excuse from work.
Most Pilots/Flight Attendants I have talked to end up losing their milk supply after the very first, four day trip because they are unable to maintain a proper pumping schedule (every 2-3 hours while away from the baby) and they are in a great deal of pain/discomfort from being engorged. We are not ill or injured- we simply want to feed our children. Unless you are able to present some alternative ailment to keep you home, you end up with an ultimatum- essentially, quit breastfeeding and return to work or lose your job.
At my company as a senior First Officer, I earn an hourly wage of $36.62. I am away from home approximately 430 hours per month (more than half of the month) and I am only paid for approximately 82 hours of that time. I earn $2400 per month after taxes and deductions on a full paycheck. My disability checks cover only 60% of my normal pay rate, or roughly $1400 monthly. Daycare, plus the cost of formula for an infant less than one year of age sometimes exceeds my monthly paychecks, leaving little to no room for rent, groceries or other bills. In short, I cannot afford daycare because my paychecks are too small:
"While a child is in the baby and toddler stages, one will pay more. Children this age need more hands-on care and so the center must hire more caregivers. The average cost of center-based daycare in the United States is $11,666 per year ($972 a month), but prices range from $3,582 to $18,773 a year ($300 to $1,564 monthly), according to the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (NACCRRA). Parents report higher costs – up to $2,000 a month for infant care – in cities like Boston and San Francisco." http://www.babycenter.com/0_how-much-youll-spend-on-childcare_1199776.bc. (Formula costs around $105 per month on average).
Please keep in mind, however, that our "disability" checks only last 6 weeks postpartum for a vaginal delivery and 8 weeks for a C-section. Unless we have this money saved or we have financial support from friends or family we are quickly draining our life savings just to feed our children.
I am currently 3 months postpartum, I have exhausted my FMLA and a good deal of my personal savings, I have received an occurrence and I am only halfway to the "minimum" length of time to breastfeed as suggested by the American Pediatrician Association. I recently applied for a Personal LOA as suggested by HR, but according to the handbook, the approval of 3 additional months is the sole discretion of my company which does not take my child into consideration, but instead looks at staffing supply. I am feel...
First, I would like to state how grateful I am that you are lending an open ear. Breastfeeding and/or pumping milk is a very sensitive subject for many women in the industry (both Pilots and Flight Attendants). Because of company policies regarding Leave Time, Pay and Scheduling, many women feel they are forced to choose between what is best for their child and their careers. My hope is that we can work together to design a resolution that benefits the Industry as well as Nursing Mothers.
We do not have a 9-5 job like many mothers, and because of scheduling and privacy issues it becomes nearly impossible to pump in order to maintain a sufficient breast milk supply for our children. We are gone up to 5 days at a time and shifts are up to 14 or more hours with delays, weaving in and out of different airports and mostly sitting alongside another male Pilot in the cockpit. There are no private rooms on an aircraft without a bathroom stall present and even if this were acceptable, the sound of the pump may be clearly heard in the cockpit, the front galley and the first 3 or more rows (begging for harassment and strange looks). I have also been advised that the FAA does not condone pumping on an aircraft, but cannot disallow a mother to partake in an "Emergency Pump" if it is to cause a safety concern because of pain or discomfort.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics a mother should "exclusively" (receiving no other nourishment) breastfeed an infant for a "minimum" of 6 months and introduce a complement of foods thereafter, while continuing to breastfeed for a "minimum" of 12 months.
In our jobs, we generally have no privacy until we reach the hotel. The Airline Industry does not adhere to the federally mandated "Break Time for Nursing Mothers" Law, nor do they modify our positions so that we may continue to collect a paycheck while on Maternity Leave. In fact, most airlines do not mention "Maternity Leave" or "Breastfeeding" anywhere in the contract or company handbooks (it is considered a disability) . We are given no alternative schedule when we return to work and we are forced to exhaust FMLA to cover Maternity Leave which begins around 27.5 weeks of pregnancy because we are not able to perform our regular duties (according to one head of Human Resources). We are caught between a rock an a hard place. (Read more about Break Time for Nursing Mothers Law: http://www.usbreastfeeding.org/Employment/WorkplaceSupport/WorkplaceSupportinFederalLaw/tabid/175/Default.aspx)
After FMLA has been exhausted we are given a work "occurrence" (which can lead to punitive action) and we are placed on non-FMLA medical leave, whereby we must produce the Human Resources Department with a "Physician's Statement" every 30 days (including a diagnosis and prognosis for injury and illness as well as an expected return-to-work date). This pile of paperwork ends up being a headache for the Pediatrician, OBGYN and the mothers. On top of this paperwork, most employers/insurers do not consider "breastfeeding" a viable excuse from work.
Most Pilots/Flight Attendants I have talked to end up losing their milk supply after the very first, four day trip because they are unable to maintain a proper pumping schedule (every 2-3 hours while away from the baby) and they are in a great deal of pain/discomfort from being engorged. We are not ill or injured- we simply want to feed our children. Unless you are able to present some alternative ailment to keep you home, you end up with an ultimatum- essentially, quit breastfeeding and return to work or lose your job.
At my company as a senior First Officer, I earn an hourly wage of $36.62. I am away from home approximately 430 hours per month (more than half of the month) and I am only paid for approximately 82 hours of that time. I earn $2400 per month after taxes and deductions on a full paycheck. My disability checks cover only 60% of my normal pay rate, or roughly $1400 monthly. Daycare, plus the cost of formula for an infant less than one year of age sometimes exceeds my monthly paychecks, leaving little to no room for rent, groceries or other bills. In short, I cannot afford daycare because my paychecks are too small:
"While a child is in the baby and toddler stages, one will pay more. Children this age need more hands-on care and so the center must hire more caregivers. The average cost of center-based daycare in the United States is $11,666 per year ($972 a month), but prices range from $3,582 to $18,773 a year ($300 to $1,564 monthly), according to the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (NACCRRA). Parents report higher costs – up to $2,000 a month for infant care – in cities like Boston and San Francisco." http://www.babycenter.com/0_how-much-youll-spend-on-childcare_1199776.bc. (Formula costs around $105 per month on average).
Please keep in mind, however, that our "disability" checks only last 6 weeks postpartum for a vaginal delivery and 8 weeks for a C-section. Unless we have this money saved or we have financial support from friends or family we are quickly draining our life savings just to feed our children.
I am currently 3 months postpartum, I have exhausted my FMLA and a good deal of my personal savings, I have received an occurrence and I am only halfway to the "minimum" length of time to breastfeed as suggested by the American Pediatrician Association. I recently applied for a Personal LOA as suggested by HR, but according to the handbook, the approval of 3 additional months is the sole discretion of my company which does not take my child into consideration, but instead looks at staffing supply. I am feel...