Amazon Worker Files Lawsuit Over Treatment During Lactation Breaks

A former employee at an Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit, alleging that her treatment while pumping breast milk at work forced her to stop breastfeeding her infant twins. Isharae Jackson, who worked overnight shifts, claims she faced harassment and discrimination from her managers, making it impossible to continue her lactation routine without fear of repercussions.

According to the lawsuit, filed in Brooklyn federal court, Jackson, 29, began working at Amazon in May 2024. She was employed as a picker, responsible for preparing orders for shipment from 6:15 p.m. to 6:45 a.m. on a Thursday to Sunday schedule, earning a rate of $21.25 per hour. The company provided standard breaks, including a 15-minute paid break and a 45-minute unpaid lunch break during each shift.

On September 28, 2024, Jackson took maternity leave to care for her newborn twins and returned to work on December 4. Upon her return, she contacted Amazon’s Disability and Leave Services to request accommodations for expressing breast milk at work. Jackson was subsequently granted a 30-minute lactation break every two hours. However, she asserts that the company lacked a clear policy to support nursing mothers.

Jackson claims the pumping room was not conveniently located, requiring a 10 to 15-minute walk one way. This distance made it difficult to complete the necessary tasks within her allotted break time. The lawsuit states that Jackson was instructed to clock out for her lactation breaks, effectively reducing her pay. If she returned late, she received reprimands for exceeding her break time.

As Jackson attempted to express concerns regarding her treatment, she alleges that her complaints were ignored. In January 2025, she reached out to Amazon’s on-site HR representative to report feeling targeted for pumping during her shifts. Following this, she escalated her concerns to the Amazon Ethics Line, leading to an investigation that found no violation of company policy.

The situation reportedly worsened after Jackson’s complaints. On April 15, 2025, she received a write-up for allegedly miscounting an item. The lawsuit contends that her pumping breaks hindered her ability to meet performance metrics, placing her at a disadvantage compared to her non-lactating colleagues. Jackson claims that each time she complained about discrimination, she faced further retaliation, culminating in her decision to stop pumping out of fear of job loss.

In June 2025, Jackson was terminated, with her lawsuit alleging that her dismissal was a direct result of opposing Amazon’s discriminatory practices. Her experiences have caused her significant emotional distress, prompting her to seek an injunction against the company for future discrimination, along with lost wages, compensatory damages, and punitive damages.

Jackson’s case highlights ongoing challenges faced by nursing mothers in the workplace. Despite federal protections for lactating employees, incidents similar to Jackson’s have emerged in previous lawsuits against large corporations. For instance, in 2019, an Amazon employee in California settled a lawsuit regarding comparable claims, while a jury awarded $3.8 million to a nursing paramedic in Arizona when her employer allegedly deemed pumping “excessive.”

As this case unfolds, it underscores the pressing need for comprehensive policies to protect the rights of nursing mothers in various workplaces, including major corporations like Amazon. The company has yet to respond publicly to the lawsuit.