Omnibus Spending Package Includes Labor Provisions

Congress passed an omnibus spending package just before Christmas that will fund the government for the remainder of fiscal year 2023.  The $1.7 trillion bill also includes some policy riders related to worker protection.  Specifically, the omnibus package expands workplace protections for pregnant and nursing employees and a bump in funding for the National Labor Relations Board.

Congressional leadership had been under pressure from advocacy groups and lawmakers of both parties to include labor elements in the funding package. The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (H.R. 1065) and the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act (S. 1658) had stalled in the Senate since 2021, when both measures passed the House.  The PWFA would require employers to provide reasonable accommodations for pregnant workers who need lighter duty or other arrangements. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) offered the legislation as an amendment to the omnibus package. The PUMP Act expands protections for nursing parents who need a private lactation space and certain break times during work.

In addition, NLRB leaders for months told lawmakers that the agency could face employee furloughs if its funding level isn’t increased. The legislation provides the NLRB a $25 million funding increase, which is less that what the White House has requested., was included in the omnibus package text released earlier this week. The boost will likely avoid furloughs, but some labor leaders say it’s not enough to handle the 53% increase in union representation petitions filed in fiscal year 2022.