Sexism Doesn't Fly for 4 Breastfeeding Frontier Airline Pilots

Frontier Airlines celebrated moms on Mother's Day with this Facebook post of a woman holding a baby, but some mothers who work for the airline say its policies discriminate against working moms.

Four Frontier Airlines female pilots just want to be able to pump breast milk on the job, so they're suing the company over its poor treatment of working moms. The four pilots—Shannon Kiedrowski, Brandy Beck, Erin Zielinski and Randi Freyer—have collectively worked for Frontier for 35 years. Yet despite their tenure, the women say the airline doesn't offer paid maternity leave or job reassignment for pregnant pilots, nor does it provide a private place for them to pump milk in airports or on the aircraft itself, making it next to impossible for them to keep breastfeeding after returning to work.

"We love our jobs as pilots for Frontier Airlines and we shouldn't have to choose between our jobs and breast-feeding our children," said Kiedrowski in a statement. "But because of the lack of accommodations for pregnancy and breastfeeding, that is exactly the position each of us has been put in. We're bringing this complaint because no woman should have to go through what we went through."

Preach!

The statement also alleges that three of the pilots suffered from mastitis as a result of Frontier's policies, that Zielinski had to stop breastfeeding early after her milk supply dried up, and that Kiedrowski was disciplined after a co-pilot complained that she had used a breast pump on the aircraft.

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"Each of us tried to work with Frontier to find a solution, but unfortunately our efforts went nowhere," said Beck. "Because of Frontier's failure to address the needs of pilots who are breastfeeding on a policy level, each of us has been left to figure out these problems on her own."

This company should be ashamed of itself. If you want to join the movement to stop making these working mothers have to choose between their jobs and their families, click here to sign a petition to tell Frontier that it's 2016 and Sexism Won't Fly.

Hollee Actman Becker is a freelance writer, blogger, and a mom. Check out her website holleeactmanbecker.com for more, and then follow her on Twitter at @holleewoodworld.