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Question: How many breaks at work are required by law?

Answer: State Laws usually mandate when employers must give you "rest periods" or breaks. How much and when depends mostly on the discretion of the employer, but there are some legal protections.

There is no federal law that gives you meal or rest breaks. However, states sometimes have labor laws which mandate time off for meals (like a lunch break) or for a rest break (perhaps a mid-afternoon break). Further, labor unions oftentimes have specific contracts that explicitly mandate time for breaks. Whether or not you can get paid during breaks depends on your employer and on the same state labor laws.


Comments
56 thru 60 of 92 comments
On 02/06/04
maryland from FL said:
what are the labor laws for how many breaks/lunch time you should get in the state of florida when you work a 8 hour shift.
On 02/06/04
koolio from VA said:
Is that the VA law?
On 02/01/04
Tanya from MN said:
Does anyone know if MN is required to give breaks or lunch time?
On 01/22/04
Shawn from AZ said:
You are right! I wish I knew how to go about finding a way to protest the law in Arizona. Child Care Centers aren't required to give their employees a break. Is that where you would want to send your child?
On 01/13/04
Jackie from FL said:
I was just curious if it is a law that a mim of a 30 min break is required after 6 hours in florida. I work in a urgent care center and my manager said we are not required to take breaks b/c we are and urgent care center. I work 10 hours every sunday and i will go those ten hours with out eating. I have a friend that works in personal for a large corp and she said that it also has to be documented. Is it the same for urgent care centers?
56 thru 60 of 92 comments



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