Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/120877
CAPTION TK. CAPTION TK. CAPTION TK. CAPTION TK. CAPTION TK. CAPTION TK. Corliss Vance was assigned yard duty during the time she planned to use a breast pump. a toilet stall, for breast pumping, and offer break times when possible to accommodate the schedule of nursing mothers. (See sidebar, facing page.) ���Know your rights,��� says Hersh, who advises moms to talk with their administrator and chapter representative before coming back to work. ���And if your needs aren���t being met, contact your chapter president or primary contact staff person. Read your bargaining agreement, especially sections on health and safety and district policies. Keep in mind that state law offers more protection than federal law. Nursing moms have these rights and the power of CTA backing them. Involving the union in these issues provides additional protection from retaliatory actions.��� Fremont Unified District Teachers Association member Corliss Vance was horrified when she was assigned outdoor recess duty during the time she planned to express milk, even though she had discussed the need with her administrator. When she complained that being unable to pump caused sore breasts and leakage, she was told to find someone else to replace her on yard duty. When the backup person fell through, she had to find someone else. The situation exacerbated the stress of adjusting to new life as a working mother. ���Parenting is the hardest job there is, followed by teaching,��� says Rebecca Conklin, who demanded that her school comply with state law. ���Breast-feeding is natural and there���s nothing to be ashamed of, but I felt was being penalized,��� says the third-grade teacher at Parkmont Elementary School, whose son is now 2. Teresa Shimogawa was worried about providing milk for her ���preemie��� infant when she returned from maternity leave a few months after he was born. She wanted him to become healthy and strong like full-term babies. Administrators at Cypress High School asked her husband, also a teacher at the school, to cover her April 2013 www.cta.org 35