Ariana Gossard exclusively breastfeeds her newborn daughter. The 21-year-old mother loved her job at a hotel before being fired after two years. Gossard took her maternity leave as planned, but when she returned, things spiraled quickly.
“I lost a job that I truly loved all because I am a breastfeeding mother,” Gossard said in a Facebook post.
Gossard told her boss that she would be using her regular work breaks to pump breastmilk. Every employee, as stated in the company's handbook, is allowed two 15-minute breaks, and one 30-minute break throughout the day.
Gossard wasn't asking for extra time; she only was being forthcoming about how she would use her given time.
“I told him how important these breaks are; going eight hours without pumping can lead to mastitis and clogged ducts and eventually drying up,” wrote Gossard.
First her boss said he would transfer her from the front desk to the cleaning service. Ariana agreed, but soon after, she was let go.
“I got the reply that there are no positions available that meet the requirements that I need. I then asked so I can't work at all, all because I want my legal breaks and I was told, sorry, there are no positions available,” she wrote. “How unfair is that? I bring a beautiful baby into this world, want to feed her the best way I can and in return get fired from my job!”
The Affordable Care Act requires businesses to provide breaks for mothers to pump breastmilk. Gossard has filed a lawsuit against the company.
"It's the manager's job to cover shifts when needed and for 15 minutes, they could've done that," she told NJ.com. "They could've worked with me. They didn't even try to accommodate me any bit, move me to a new position, nothing."
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