Terry's right. Some states have enacted breastfeeding statutes that require employers to provide a private place for ladies that are breastfeeding. There must be a place for the ladies to sit down. It can be in a bathroom, but cannot be a bathroom stall and must afford privacy. If you're a Law Center Member, you can search on this website to see if your state has passed such a law and what the statue requires you to do.
Other than those statutes, I'm unaware of anything else that would require the couches.
Just a bit of history. There used to be such laws in state labor laws - reflecting the old thinking that females needed extra stuff, to make a go of it, I guess. Those laws were gradually dropped over the years so that I don't know of any that remain. There are still people who work in manufacturing that think that the laws exist - in fact, I received a call last week from someone I know in manufacturing who was checking out the same idea.
Sounds like the law in Texas about carrying wire cutters on your person. The law was enacted when barbed wire first hit the Texas borders; upsetting many free-ranging cattlemen. To my knowledge, it hasn't been removed from the law books!
Comments
Other than those statutes, I'm unaware of anything else that would require the couches.
Margaret Morford
theHRedge
615-371-8200
[email]mmorford@mleesmith.com[/email]
[url]http://www.thehredge.net[/url]
[url]http://www.ncsl.org/programs/health/breast.htm[/url]
Hope this helps.