MN Fines Menards $15K After Punishing Woman For Pumping Breast Milk

FRIDLEY, MN — Menards was fined $15,000 after penalizing and retaliating against a Twin Cities woman who needed to take pump breaks at work, according to state officials.

In addition to the fine, Menards also must pay back wages to compensate the worker for illegally deducting time from her pay on 103 separate occasions, authorities said.

"Workers should not have to choose between expressing milk for their child and getting paid or keeping their job," said Department of Labor and Industry Commissioner Nicole Blissenbach in a statement.

"DLI supports new parents who choose to return to the workforce and understands the importance and impact of enforcing the Minnesota law protecting workers’ rights to express milk at work without having their compensation reduced."

A state investigation of Menards in Fridley found the company violated the state's Women's Economic Security Act between Dec. 1, 2022, and May 21, 2023.

The state entered into a consent order with Menards requiring the retail chain to comply with a Minnesota law that directs employers to provide lactating workers with reasonable paid break time to express milk.

Specific measures in the consent order call for Menards to do the following:

• Pay back wages
• Pay damages to compensate the worker for three days of lost wages when she was suspended in retaliation for asserting her workplace rights
• Perform a statewide audit of all of its stores to confirm no other workers had their wages deducted for expressing milk and, if they did, compensate all workers whose wages were reduced
• Update its policy handbook to reflect all current rights in Minnesota, including rights to express milk, pregnancy accommodations, and parental leave
• Post a copy of DLI’s nursing employees’ poster at each store in Minnesota and a copy of the consent order

Read the entire consent order here.