SMACNA Western Washington and SMART Local 66 (Seattle) are collaborating on a joint initiative to provide lactation pods to mothers working in the industry. Beginning in April of this year, mothers will have a private space where they can nurse in an environment that promotes privacy and safety. This collaboration between SMACNA Western Washington and Local 66 hopes to provide a place where new mothers can return to work confidently.
As part of this initiative mothers will have access pods through a controlled app, ending the instances where workers have had to nurse in places such as port-a-potties, cars, and other insecure locations. The pods will have a seat, sink, HVAC, electricity for the breast pump and phone chargers plus a refrigerator to keep the breast milk cold during the remaining hours of the workday.
In talking about this development, Julie Muller, Executive Vice President of SMACNA-Western Washington, said, “After talking to Tammy Meyen, a journeywoman who’d had a baby around the same time as I had my twins, I was astonished at how different my experience was compared to hers. She and any of the tradeswomen mothers are all after the same goal — being good at their jobs while also being good mothers. Our goal is to make working in the fieldwork for them.”
Learn more about this joint about this joint SMACNA Western Washington and Local 66 effort.
