New Illinois law protects women who are pregnant

<p class="p1"><span class="s1">With the arrival of 2015, Illinois Department of Human Rights, IDHR, director Rocco Claps reminds employers that a measure providing job protection for pregnant women went into effect Jan. 1 and employers are required to post information about it in the workplace.</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Public Act 98-1050 requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations and safe working conditions for expectant mothers so that they can continue working without fear of endangering their health or the health of the child. </span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Provisions include limits on heavy lifting and assistance in manual labor, access to places to sit, more frequent restroom breaks, time off to recover from childbirth and private break space for breast-feeding and expressing breast milk.</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">A poster summarizing requirements of the new law, including the right to be free from unlawful discrimination and information on how to file a discrimination charge, can be downloaded from the IDHR website at www.Illinois.gov/IDHR. </span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">The poster and detailed fact sheets about the law are available in English and Spanish.</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Anyone who needs help under the new law or has questions can contact IDHR at 1-866-740-3953 (TTY).</span></p>