Nursing Amazon warehouse worker says bosses berated her over pumping milk at work: ‘Why can’t you use your 15-minute break’

Exclusive: New Jersey mom Isharae Jackson claims ‘constant harassment’ and ‘discriminatory practices’ by her bosses at Amazon forced her to stop pumping milk for fear of losing her job

A young mother claims her bosses at a New York City-area Amazon fulfillment center made it so unpleasant for her to milk at work, she felt she had no choice but to stop breastfeeding her infant twins altogether for fear of losing her job, according to a federal civil rights lawsuit obtained by The Independent.

In it, Isharae Jackson, who worked the overnight shift as a picker at an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island, says she wanted to continue pumping, if not for the company’s “constant harassment” and “discriminatory practices.”

Among other things, Jackson, 29, accuses Amazon managers of monitoring her approved lactation breaks down to the minute, docking her pay for the time it took her to walk to and from the distant mother’s room and peppering her ceaselessly with accusatory questions and comments, such as:

• “Why don’t you pump on your lunch time?”
• “Why do you need to pump so often?”
• “Who told you could pump?”
• “Why [did] it [take] you so long to pump?”
• “How many times are you going to pump?”
• “Why [can’t] you use [your] 15-minute break to pump?”
• “Your computer indicates you are away from your station [while pumping]; you will be penalized for that!”

However, Jackson contends, human resources ignored her concerns and ultimately fired her anyway.

An Amazon spokesperson did not respond on Friday to a request for comment.

A nursing mother working at an Amazon warehouse is suing the company over claims she was forced to stop pumping breast milk during breaks on the job (Getty Images)

Although the right to pump at work is protected by federal law, nursing mothers have brought, and won, past lawsuits against large corporations they alleged stood in the way. In 2019, an Amazon warehouse employee in Riverside County, California, sued the company over similar claims to those in Jackson’s lawsuit. The company later settled; the terms of the agreement remain confidential.

That same year, an Arizona jury awarded $3.8 million to a nursing paramedic after the Tucson Fire Department’s HR manager reportedly told her that “pumping seem[ed] excessive,” and that it rendered her “unfit for duty.”

Last February, New York City settled a lawsuit brought by five nursing NYPD officers who claimed their supervisors refused to provide a clean space to pump, then disciplined them when they objected.

Jackson began working at Amazon in May 2024, according to her complaint against the company, filed Thursday in Brooklyn federal court.

“As a picker, [Jackson] worked closely with a variety of warehouse workers and was responsible for picking up orders and sending them to delivery platforms,” the complaint states.

It says she worked from 6:15 p.m. to 6:45 a.m., Thursday to Sunday, at a rate of $21.25 per hour. Amazon allowed Jackson and her colleagues a standard 15-minute paid break and a 45-minute unpaid lunch break during each shift, the complaint continues.

The Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island where Isharae Jackson worked. She is now suing the company for discriminating against her as a lactating mom. (Google Maps)

On September 28, 2024, Jackson took maternity leave to care for her newborn twins, returning to work on December 4, the complaint goes on. Upon her return, Jackson contacted Amazon’s Disability and Leave Services department “to request a reasonable accommodation regarding her intention to express breast milk at [the] workplace,” according to the complaint. A short time later, Jackson was approved to take a 30-minute lactation break every two hours, the complaint explains.

Amazon, which was founded by the world’s third-richest person, “did not have a firm, meaningful or up-to-date policy on providing accommodations to nursing mothers,” Jackson’s complaint states.

To that end, Jackson contends, the pumping room provided to her “was not in a reasonable proximity to her work area, and it took [her] 10-15 minutes one-way” to get there, making it impossible to express milk, clean her pumping supplies, and return to her station in a half-hour. She was also instructed to clock out before she left for the pumping room, effectively docking her pay, the complaint states.

If she was late coming back, Jackson was “reprimanded for missing for too long,” according to the complaint. Yet, at the same time, Jackson’s supervisors kept assigning her to work in spots further and further away from the pumping room, the complaint maintains.

In January 2025, the complaint says Jackson emailed Amazon’s on-site HR representative, telling her that she “felt targeted for pumping during her shift, and requested the matter to be investigated and addressed.” Yet, Jackson’s concerns were not properly addressed, the complaint alleges.

The following month, Jackson escalated her concerns to the Amazon Ethics Line, receiving an email back less than a week later from a senior HR investigator, according to the complaint. It says he told Jackson that he had conducted a “thorough investigation,” and that he “did not find a violation of Amazon policy.”

That’s when the retaliation started, Jackson claims. On April 15, 2025, Jackson was written up for “allegedly miscounting an item,” the complaint states.

“To cancel out a counting mistake, an employee must scan 5,000 items,” it continues. “Because [Jackson] took pumping breaks, she could not scan 5,000 items, and as such was held accountable for mistakes, other non-nursing/male employees could rectify by scanning the number of items required.”

The right to breastfeed or pump milk at work is a right protected by federal law. Amazon warehouse worker Isharae Jackson is now suing the company over what she alleges were discriminatory practices towards her and other nursing moms (AFP via Getty Images)

Jackson asked her coworkers if they had ever been written up for similar infractions, and they all said they had not, according to the complaint.

“[Jackson] complained that the write-up was retaliatory, but her complaints fell on deaf ears,” the complaint states. “Each time [Jackson] complained about discrimination[,] she was written up in retaliation against her.”

By May, the complaint says Jackson “was not able to tolerate the ongoing harassment, and made the decision to stop pumping, in fear [of losing] her job. If it was not for [Amazon’s] discriminatory practices, [Jackson] would continue nursing her twins.”

Jackson again contacted Amazon HR about what she says was happening, and was called into a meeting two weeks later.

There, she was told that “the matter was closed,” the complaint states, criticizing Amazon for not having instead taken “immediate corrective action.”

Further, Jackson was told that two of her coworkers, who the complaint says had “encouraged [her] to exercise her rights as a nursing mother,” had been “removed from the site.”

“To add insult to… injury, [Jackson] was asked whether she intended to continue pumping,” the complaint alleges.

In mid-June 2025, Jackson was terminated, according to the complaint, which claims she was let go “because she opposed [Amazon]’s discriminatory practices.”

Jackson’s complaint says the experience caused her emotional pain, suffering, inconvenience, and severe emotional and physical distress.

She is now seeking an injunction barring Amazon from engaging in any form of discrimination against lactating mothers; lost wages and benefits; compensatory damages for mental and emotional injuries; and punitive damages, in a total amount to be determined by a jury, plus court costs and attorneys’ fees.