# So you think you have a right to lunchbreak?



## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

For those still doing the employee/employer grind.

I found out something interesting this morning. A few of us were debating if we would get time and 1/2 for working the holiday. I and a couple others thought we were covered under federal employment laws. Another said, no, they don't have to pay us time & 1/2. So I checked this morning and there are no federal laws regarding pay for holidays worked. And there is no federal law requiring your employer to give you a break regardless of how many hours you work unless you are under 18. I was sure I had read somewhere that employers were required to pay you for federal holidays worked and breaks but I'll openly admit that I was wrong. Your employer does not have to pay full time employees when the business shuts down for a holiday. 

Our company apparently has changed their holiday pay practices which spawned this debate. They were having a hard time filling positions before, wait until people hear about this one. No wonder there were so few people willing to work yesterday.


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

Danaus29 said:


> For those still doing the employee/employer grind.
> 
> I found out something interesting this morning. A few of us were debating if we would get time and 1/2 for working the holiday. I and a couple others thought we were covered under federal employment laws. Another said, no, they don't have to pay us time & 1/2. So I checked this morning and there are no federal laws regarding pay for holidays worked. And there is no federal law requiring your employer to give you a break regardless of how many hours you work unless you are under 18. I was sure I had read somewhere that employers were required to pay you for federal holidays worked and breaks but I'll openly admit that I was wrong. Your employer does not have to pay full time employees when the business shuts down for a holiday.
> 
> Our company apparently has changed their holiday pay practices which spawned this debate. They were having a hard time filling positions before, wait until people hear about this one. No wonder there were so few people willing to work yesterday.


Under FLSA, I do think that work over 40 hours is to be paid at time and a half. Nothing about holidays but a lot of state laws fill in the gaps. BTW, when I worked for the Federal government, lunch was not time for which you received pay. I used to laugh at the old Dolly Parton song "working 9 to 5" which was easier to use in lyrics than working 8:30 to 5. Are there places out there that actually include lunch as paid time?


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## Harry Chickpea (Dec 19, 2008)

LOL! Working in movie theatres, holidays are the biggest days requiring the most staff. The only day I ever had challenges fully staffing was December 25. IIRC, the only requirement for breaks is a 15 min UNPAID break for lunch. Funny how farmers never got away with not milking on holidays. Wussification.


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Temp service, most people won't see 40 hours this week. As for the lunch breaks, I got this:

Federal law does not require lunch or coffee breaks. However, when employers do offer short breaks (usually lasting about 5 to 20 minutes), federal law considers the breaks as compensable work hours that would be included in the sum of hours worked during the work week and considered in determining if overtime was worked. 

Bona fide meal periods (typically lasting at least 30 minutes), serve a different purpose than coffee or snack breaks and, thus, are not work time and are not compensable. 



from this site:
http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/workhours/breaks.htm


I don't know of any place which pays for your lunch break but the point I was trying to make is that they don't have to let you have the time for a lunch break. They don't have to let you have any breaks, paid or unpaid.



Harry, those inconsiderate cows. How dare they demand to be fed and milked on holidays!


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## interceptor (Jun 19, 2014)

My employer does not pay my lunch break, so a bunch of us would just skip lunch. Then they said we were required to take a half hour lunch break. So we would work 8 hours and then take our lunch break at the end of the day (on the way home). They said we cannot do this because of a state law that requires a break after 6 hours of work.


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## MO_cows (Aug 14, 2010)

There are some specific laws for certain fields of work. Truckers, railroaders, pilots, etc. have so much rest time mandated.


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

State laws vary. Ohio follows federal law so we do not have the right to have an unpaid lunch break here.


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

There are jobs that are exempt from the federal labor laws, truck drivers are covered under different laws, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/newsroom/n...tions-reduce-truck-driver-fatigue-begin-today

Movie theater employees are also not covered by FLSA.


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## wwubben (Oct 13, 2004)

This shows how union jobs are great for the working person.You are not treated like a slave.


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## Sawmill Jim (Dec 5, 2008)

wwubben said:


> This shows how union jobs are great for the working person.You are not treated like a slave.


Having lived in the South for 62 years I have yet to have anyone drag me off the porch and beat me with a whip to hoe their cotton:duel:


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## sammyd (Mar 11, 2007)

I like my non union 8 hour straight job with 2 paid 15 minute breaks a lot better than I liked my union 8 1/2 hour job with 1/2 hour unpaid lunch break.
I have much better things to do than sit around at work not getting paid for half an hour.
I once worked at a place that required a whole hour unpaid lunch break so the boss had time to go home to eat...that was horrible.


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## 1shotwade (Jul 9, 2013)

The NLRB( national labor relations board)ruling that was in effect when I retired was that you must allow a 20min. lunch break(Unpaid) for any hours over 6 hours a shift and an additional 10 min (paid) bathroom break for anything up to 12 hours of shift. After 12 hours of a shift you were allowed an additional 10 break (Pay not specified). Additionally overtime to be paid at 1 1/2 for anything over 40 hours per week. Overtime pay for over 8 hour days is at the discretion of the company.Holliday pay is not ruled on with the exception of mandating that a full 40 hour week must be worked in order for it to be overtime pay.
Things change so who knows what it is now!


Wade


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## MO_cows (Aug 14, 2010)

Doesn't matter if it's union or not, if you work over 6 hours I think it is, you have to get a break. Don't have to get paid for it, just get a break. I don't think getting paid for lunch break is a good idea for hourly employees. Leads to problems from both sides. 

In a production environment, the time is very important, other types of work, not so much. When DH was running a production line, he couldn't do anything during the day. He had to schedule a whole day off because he couldn't just take a long lunch or leave a bit early, like for a Drs appt. Now, his time is more flexible and he can take care of some of his own biz, off the clock of course, and still do some work that day. 

Salary personnel, some people will come in late, leave early and take a long lunch. As long as they are productive enough, they can get by with that. Usually it catches up with them, has been my observation.


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## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

I worked at a place that in a 8 hour shift you got One 15 Minute break Period.
And this was at a very large furniture place I be leave now they are considered number one in the country also. LOL


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## Awnry Abe (Mar 21, 2012)

Nevermind


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## sidepasser (May 10, 2002)

I am salaried and usually don't take a lunch break. If I eat lunch, it's at my desk. Do not get paid for lunch either.


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## Becka03 (Mar 29, 2009)

I work at a gov job tech- at a state univ- 
I get an unpaid lunch- 
I ALWAYS leave my desk- otherwise- everyone thinks it is ok to ask me to do work- even if it is to walk on my lunch


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

When I worked in the Prison, Corrections Officers got paid for lunch. We weren't allowed to leave. While we ate (same food as prisoners) we were still responsible to respond to any problem. Just drop your fork and go.
Unionized Guards got time and a half for working Holidays. Non Union Supervisors worked the holiday, but got a different day off in that 14 day pay period.

Since most holidays are now on Monday, I know of a shop that gives everyone the Holiday off without pay, then requires them to work the following Saturday to get their 40 hours, no time and a half.

I know a guy that owned a business that is mostly office staff, with phones and computers. He paid their lunch, but expected them to eat at their desk and continue to work. They complained, so he gave everyone an hour, unpaid lunch. Instead of working 8 to 4, they had to stay until 5. Messed up their day care, school pick up, etc. Plus since they had a lunch time, no food or drink at your desk. Wasn't too long before thy were crying to go back to the old schedule.


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## gweny (Feb 10, 2014)

I have to work holidays but I get paid 2 and half times for those 8 hours. My weekend falls on Wednesday morning through till Friday night (I work nights). I always get black Friday off though! Can't miss my full contact shopping day!
Lunch is 20min on site, but it is paid. 
I am in a union.


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## hawgsquatch (May 11, 2014)

I get two 15 min breaks and a half hour lunch paid. Then again I work 13 hours shifts and I am not allowed to leave. If anything happens while I am at lunch, I am expected to stop lunching and start working. It works fine for me.


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## alsarve (Feb 20, 2013)

At Walmart (hourly), we get paid 8 extra hours on our check for a holiday whether we are scheduled to work that day or not. If you call off any day "touching" the holiday, you lose that time. Required to take an hour, unpaid lunch, plus we get 2 paid 15min breaks.


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## unregistered41671 (Dec 29, 2009)

I have been self employed most of my life and never paid anyone to eat. Had one guy tell me that I needed to pay for his lunch and then a 30 minute nap after. He did not last long at all.


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## dizzy (Jun 25, 2013)

Last summer and the summer B4, I had a job where I got an hour unpaid lunch break. They told me I could go home if I wanted to. I know myself. I would have gone home, gotten involved in something and forgotten to come back. So instead, I brought a lounge chair in w/me and took a nap. They didn't care. Normally I was the only person in the building. And that nap was the only way I was able to make it thru the day. My life was too full, but we needed the money.


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## light rain (Jan 14, 2013)

Seems like there are many different approaches to workdays and pay across America. Viewpoints tend to different on whether you are an employee or an employer.

I wish there was more discussion on viable self employment opportunities, also.


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## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

Last weekend I hired a couple guys to put a new roof on and old house. Saturday I paid them regular wage, and bought their lunch... it poured down rain Sunday so they had that day off but came back monday to do the other half. Monday I offered to buy their lunch but they wanted to skip lunch and get finished a bit earlier. They did a great job, and when they were finished I paid them double time for working on labor day, broke out a case of beer which they sat on my porch and went through most of. With any luck these guys will be back if/when I need some help on a weekend again.


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## 1shotwade (Jul 9, 2013)

Yvonne's hubby said:


> Last weekend I hired a couple guys to put a new roof on and old house. Saturday I paid them regular wage, and bought their lunch... it poured down rain Sunday so they had that day off but came back monday to do the other half. Monday I offered to buy their lunch but they wanted to skip lunch and get finished a bit earlier. They did a great job, and when they were finished I paid them double time for working on labor day, broke out a case of beer which they sat on my porch and went through most of. With any luck these guys will be back if/when I need some help on a weekend again.



You didn't do anything out of the ordinary. It's just that the ordinary is no longer.You treated them like people,showed some appreciation for there efforts.If corporate america would just follow your lead they could have the most loyal workforce on earth!Instead they want to squeeze you till you drop then find someone else to do the same thing to.Are they really so stupid that they think using 20-30 people for the same job is better than using one that will stay with them all those years simply because they were treated right?That's america!


Wade


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## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

1shotwade said:


> You didn't do anything out of the ordinary. It's just that the ordinary is no longer.You treated them like people,showed some appreciation for there efforts.If corporate america would just follow your lead they could have the most loyal workforce on earth!Instead they want to squeeze you till you drop then find someone else to do the same thing to.Are they really so stupid that they think using 20-30 people for the same job is better than using one that will stay with them all those years simply because they were treated right?That's america!
> 
> 
> Wade


Yep, I didnt think I did anything out of the ordinary... treating people like I would want to be treated has always worked for me. Back in the day when I was able I did a lot of the same kind of work. People that treated me well could call on me anytime and I would jump and run to help them out of their situations. People who had a habit of treating me shabbily waited at the end of the line. Corporate bosses.... are still waiting coz I never could bring myself to subject myself to that kind of abuse to begin with.


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## michael ark (Dec 11, 2013)

I always liked working through lunch to get it done and over with .Best job i ever had was union and the easiest was government.:whistlin:


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## watcher (Sep 4, 2006)

wwubben said:


> This shows how union jobs are great for the working person.You are not treated like a slave.


I've worked in union and non-union shops in my life time and I would much rather work in a non-union shop. 

Of course a of other people didn't like it when I worked in non-union shops because I seemed to have a better work ethic and a little more on the ball than them so I usually wound up advancing much faster than they thought was "fair".

In the union shops I worked just like all the others, doing just enough to not get fired. After all that was the only thing that mattered when it came to advancement was how long you had been working there.


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## Taylor R. (Apr 3, 2013)

Funny this just came up. The warehouse where my husband works is doing away with their unpaid lunch as of next week and therefore shortening their workday by half an hour (actually probably more than that as company policy requires a group stretch before going back to work after each break and it takes a good twenty minutes to get everyone rounded up and stretched to go back to work). They will still receive their two 20 minute paid 'breaks'. I think that they're anticipating the change to help increase production, and it seems rather a split decision among the hourly employees whether it is a boon or the worst idea ever. The company was always very insistent that an unpaid half hour lunch break be taken before 6 hours at work and would shell out disciplinary action if that requirement was not met, but apparently things change.

In my office (same place, different sector of the business and under different management), we are paid for our lunch as long as we don't leave the premises. We have the opportunity to clock out for a half hour if we wish to leave for some reason, but why the heck would I? We also get 35 minutes of paid 'break' to take however we wish (though it's not monitored and some folks' 35 minutes rapidly turns into an hour), so I just use that if I wish to eat away from my desk.


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## AmericanStand (Jul 29, 2014)

I have a Right to mealtimes and breaks.
Why?
Because I say so, its really that simple.

Ive even told employers how much vacation time I would be taking and when.
Its funny they have all agreed and all seemed stunned later when I did what I said.
Isnt it sad that people dont expect you to keep your word anymore?


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## jefferson (Nov 11, 2004)

When I worked; I always had an hour for lunch. But I also had to negotiate it into my contract when I designed my job. The only free lunch I ever had was in the USN. If you can call that free.


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## snowlady (Aug 1, 2011)

I worked as the nursing supervisor at a government (county) run nursing home. Like Haypoint, we could not leave the facility for lunch, ate the same as the residents and had to be ready to go at the sound of an emergency. We had two paid 15 minute breaks and an unpaid "20 minute un-interrupted lunch" that was hardly ever un-interrupted. I figured that went with the territory. At the school I worked at, lunch was 45 minuted unpaid. The teachers would get together on Friday and go to lunch in the nearest town with fast food--13 miles away. I think it was a mistake to let them leave the school. What if there was an emergency at lunch, recess, playground, you never know, and 5 or 6 of the grade school teachers are gone or God forbid in an accident themselves racing to or from lunch? Keep in mind this is an extremely small school with one teacher per grade.


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

AmericanStand said:


> I have a Right to mealtimes and breaks.
> Why?
> Because I say so, its really that simple.
> 
> ...


I don't know your age, but that attitude seems to be a generational thing.
I'm old. I grew up believing my employer had my best interest at heart, at least after profit. But if I worked hard, produced a good product, earned the owner a return on their investment, I was valued and would work there my whole working life. My employer would treat me fair and offer modest raises, benefits to keep me from being lured away. But, a good worker showed great loyalty. If you were needed to work on Christmas, you were there. If need be you worked whatever shift they asked.

Today, most employers seek the cheapest worker they can. Turnover isn't a concern. Skills, work ethic, commitment don't count. Young employees, under 30, understand this. They understand there is no commitment to the worker. They in turn have no commitment to their employer. They expect to change jobs many times in a career. 

A newly hired gal, after 4 weeks on the job, asked to have her hours changed to give her longer weekends. I wouldn't have dared to do that. But, she got what she wanted. A year later, she got another job and walked away from this job without anything more than a good-by. 

A friend that grew up on a farm, great work ethic, ran a farm herself, was an active carpenter, repaired farm machinery, gardened. She was a good book keeper, too. She applied for a job at Tractor Farm Supply. Just above minimum wage. When asked when she could start work, she said that she'd rather start next week because she had soybeans to harvest this week. She didn't get the job. They gave it to a gal with no farming experience at all, but living with her parents could work any time needed. Better to have a unskilled person on hand than risk having to get the assistant manager fill a position.


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## hawgsquatch (May 11, 2014)

My family owns a small business. I worked there for 15 years before going to work for the government, so I can see both sides.

In the family business we were profit motivated. Employees took breaks when they needed them. They clocked out on a lunch or not depending on if they needed or wanted them. If they needed a morning off to get something done they got it. If I needed to get something done on Saturday they were obliged to get it done. Kids birthdays, anniversaries, and the Sabbath are very important to happiness and family harmony so employees were encouraged to make them a priority. That is why the family business( A corporation no less) was and is extremely successful. Right now my dad is retiring and none of the kids wants the biz so he is making it an employee owned co-op so that they can buy it out. 

In my government job we get benefits and set breaks and guaranteed days off and holidays and we produce nothing. If fact, we are giant swirling hole in the universe that we shovel money down as fast as we can. There is no productivity to gauge in my field. We clean up the messes that no one lese wants to. I can produce no measurable tangible product and my job performance is not affected. I can do a great effective job and my productivity is not effected. I find that guys like me who are results driven, often have a hard time in my profession, whereas the kids who started there at 18 have no problem working all day with no tangible result.

Why did I quit the family business? I could no longer afford my own healthcare and benefits.


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## watcher (Sep 4, 2006)

Again I must point out something very important: Anything someone else must provide you is not and can not be a _right._


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## big rockpile (Feb 24, 2003)

My wife worked Home Health Care 100+ Hours a week, they didn't have to pay Over Time.

big rockpile


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## mnn2501 (Apr 2, 2008)

MO_cows said:


> Doesn't matter if it's union or not, if you work over 6 hours I think it is, you have to get a break. Don't have to get paid for it, just get a break. .


NOT by Federal law, States vary.


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## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

Any employer with half a brain will not work their employees without a break. Its just silly to expect a human being to be able to work efficiently for long periods of time with out a break, and most people need a bite to eat somewhere along the line. If you want to use a human being for labor, you need to understand they are not "machines". Tired employees are not going to function at peek performance, if you want to get all you can get out of them, efficiently, givem a little break now and then and let them eat, a sip of water now and then wont hurt either. There really is no need for laws about this, profit margins should more than cover it. Not only will your employee be physically capable of increased production.... for what ever reason they seem to like being treated as people, and will try harder to please you! Any good task master on the plantations knew this, and as a result those who treated their slaves well, prospered... those who didnt... not so much.


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## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

Yvonne's hubby said:


> Any employer with half a brain will not work their employees without a break. Its just silly to expect a human being to be able to work efficiently for long periods of time with out a break, and most people need a bite to eat somewhere along the line. If you want to use a human being for labor, you need to understand they are not "machines". Tired employees are not going to function at peek performance, if you want to get all you can get out of them, efficiently, givem a little break now and then and let them eat, a sip of water now and then wont hurt either. There really is no need for laws about this, profit margins should more than cover it. Not only will your employee be physically capable of increased production.... for what ever reason they seem to like being treated as people, and will try harder to please you! Any good task master on the plantations knew this, and as a result those who treated their slaves well, prospered... those who didnt... not so much.


Ya some do and some can skirt by only doing a 15 minute break in a 8 hour shift and in that 8 hour shift you also TRIED to have a bite to eat as it was lunch time also at that 15 minutes break time.


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## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

arabian knight said:


> Ya some do and some can skirt by only doing a 15 minute break in a 8 hour shift and in that 8 hour shift you also TRIED to have a bite to eat as it was lunch time also at that 15 minutes break time.


Those would be the ones who fail to realize why they have a high turnover rate, have to spend extra money to train new employees all the time and cant figure out why they dont get good employees to begin with or in the rare cases they do.... said employee moves on all too soon.


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## Trainwrek (Aug 23, 2014)

Check your STATE law.


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## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

Yvonne's hubby said:


> Those would be the ones who fail to realize why they have a high turnover rate, have to spend extra money to train new employees all the time and cant figure out why they dont get good employees to begin with or in the rare cases they do.... said employee moves on all too soon.


Doesn't matter to the largest furniture manufacture in the country they can get more of those imports from Mexico to cut lumber and staple fabric together, they don't care.
When I left I just threw my key on the desk and turned toward the door the person behind the counter said Had I Had My Exit Interview? I said I know where the DOOR IS. And walked out. :bouncy:
One 15 Minute break in 8 hours and you are supposed to eat in that length of time also. Baloney


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

No. There is no right to a lunch break.

As I made my career in the oil refining business, I know that refinery operators work a straight 8 hour shift with no set coffee or lunch breaks. If they are eating and something needs attention they are expected to deal with it.


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

Where I work the hourly people get one 15 minute break for every 4 hours worked plus 30 minutes lunch. People are there for 8.5 hours. Lunch in unpaid but the break time is paid. Hours worked over 40 per week are paid time and 1/2. I am salaried and am supposed to get the two breaks and the 30 minutes for lunch but it seldom happens because I simply have too much work to do. I do usually take a 20 min break away from my desk at lunch time simply because I need to step away and clear my brain for the next thing. If something needs attended to, though, it is all hands on deck. Leadership frequently will eat during a meeting (most are by WebX so you just mute your phone and munch while someone else is talking). I am almost always there an hour longer than my job specifies but I do have the option to comp up to two hours a week...so if I work long one day I can leave early on another day. 

I have a good manager. If she thinks we are putting in too many hours we'll get the raised eyebrow and she'll say, "Go home. It will be here tomorrow..." or "Explain to me why you are still here." lol! 

This is a non-union pay-for-performance company. I love the pay for performance aspect. You can really tell who takes the work and their career seriously. We have quarterly bonuses the hourly staff can earn and salaried people can earn an annual bonus and can also get a "spot" award if their manager or director wants to recognize extra work that was done. Annual raises are also based on performance metrics. Not everyone gets the same % increase. High performers will get more than average performers. People who need improvement to meet their goals will likely not get any increase at all.


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## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

arabian knight said:


> Doesn't matter to the largest furniture manufacture in the country they can get more of those imports from Mexico to cut lumber and staple fabric together, they don't care.
> When I left I just threw my key on the desk and turned toward the door the person behind the counter said Had I Had My Exit Interview? I said I know where the DOOR IS. And walked out. :bouncy:
> One 15 Minute break in 8 hours and you are supposed to eat in that length of time also. Baloney


How long does it take you to eat a baloney sammy?  

Seriously, you handled that situation properly. You didnt like the job, and simply turned it over to someone else who did. Thats how the system should work.


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## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

Yvonne's hubby said:


> How long does it take you to eat a baloney sammy?
> 
> Seriously, you handled that situation properly. You didnt like the job, and simply turned it over to someone else who did. Thats how the system should work.


 Two weeks later they called me and I told them just what I thought about the situation. As I was then working at a computer parts company and where I stay for 9 years until my RA acted up to badly.
Now there was a nice company.Non-union. And we could manage our own time. And manage when we even tok lunch breaks, as work allowed.
And we could even manage our own time off. If you had the time accrued you could take off at any time. Many of us at 11:00AM on a Sunday would "Take Off" to go home and watch the Packers play. :happy:
And you could keep those hours as long as you wanted to and use any or all of them at any time. If you have even saved up you could take 3 maybe even 4 week vacation~! Cool
And when I left I was still getting raises as I was moving up the 'ladder' some. LOL If I still was there I would be close to 20 an hour not bad for a non college grad. And in this area of WI. where cost of living is not as high as in the eastern part of WI or near Milwaukee and such places as that.


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## michael ark (Dec 11, 2013)

I had a job like that working for comp time is awesome .I would work all i could in the summer to build up time to go hunting in the winter. We would only do it with overtime or time and a half.Everyone won boss didn't have overtime i built up time and a half hunting time.


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## kasilofhome (Feb 10, 2005)

I never starved to death. After 8th grade I got my mom to sign a form so I could skip the 20 minute lunch at school ...note that 20 minutes allowed one a trip from class to a locker ,if needed, and standing inline eat, clean area and below as rung 4 minutes to study hall for 20 minutes. 

In skipping lunch I got an extra class. 

So, if kids can do that .....Check you school to see time allotted for lunch for kids. Why the can't grown ups. Don't like how it is at your job leave.

Bathroom breaks mean more to me as lunch I found To simply be time for me to get personal things for me.


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

We get an hour for lunch, half paid, half unpaid. Since the job entails standing on your feet on concrete the whole day that time is desperately needed, especially during those 12 hour shifts. No food is allowed on the production floor. But there are no breaks except for the lunch break and an additional 10 min break after 8 hours.

I just thought that it was interesting that there are no laws requiring lunch or other breaks during the work day regardless of how long that workday is.


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## farmrbrown (Jun 25, 2012)

Danaus29 said:


> We get an hour for lunch, half paid, half unpaid. Since the job entails standing on your feet on concrete the whole day that time is desperately needed, especially during those 12 hour shifts. No food is allowed on the production floor. But there are no breaks except for the lunch break and an additional 10 min break after 8 hours.
> 
> I just thought that it was interesting that there are no laws requiring lunch or other breaks during the work day regardless of how long that workday is.



I got a little shocked too, when I actually looked into it.
Browse thru some states' labor websites sometime and you'll find some of them really come with an attitude, lol.
Notice that breaks for the bathroom aren't mentioned either.
http://www.nclabor.com/wh/fact sheets/overtime.htm

There are no wage and hour laws that limit the amount of hours that a person 18 years of age or older can work either by the day, week, or number of days in a row, or that require breaks for employees 16 years of age or older. An employer is free to adjust the hours of its employees regardless of what the employees are scheduled to work. For example: To avoid having to pay time and one-half overtime pay for hours worked in excess of 40 in a workweek that is Sunday through Saturday, an employer could adjust the hours of an employee who has already worked 34 hours by the end of a Thursday by requiring that the employee work only six hours on Friday and not work on Saturday at all regardless if the schedule had called for this employee to work eight hours on Friday and Saturday. Also, this may be done regardless if the employee agreed to this or not. An employer can make the scheduling or rescheduling of its employees hours worked as a condition of employment.

The rules are the same for a large corporation or a small mom-and-pop business. Neither the N. C. Wage and Hour Act nor the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) limit the amount of hours that an employee 18 years of age or older can be required to work either by the day, week, or number of days in a row. There are no limitations on how many hours an adult employee can be required to work regardless whether they are a salaried-exempt employee or a non-exempt employee. The employer is only required to pay time and one-half overtime pay based on an employee&#8217;s regular rate of pay for all hours worked in excess of 40 in a workweek to its non-exempt employees. There is no limit on the number of hours the adult employee may be required to work.

The decision to work employees in eight-hour shifts, 12-hour shifts, 16-hour shifts, etc., is entirely up to the employer. The decision to call an employee back in to work on a scheduled day off is entirely up to the employer. An employer can make the working on a scheduled day off or working a full shift as a condition of employment regardless of an employee&#8217;s start-time or end-time. An employer can make the working of overtime hours as a condition of employment. Since an employer can make the working of overtime mandatory, the employer can terminate an employee if the employee refuses to work overtime regardless of how many hours the employee has already worked that day or workweek. The employer does not have give its employees any advanced notice of having to work extra hours. An employer can inform its employees that they have to work overtime at the last minute. The employer does not have to take into consideration how the work schedule will affect an employee&#8217;s personal life.





While it's true that they can literally work you to death and it's legal, most employers are smart enough to realize that there's a line that shouldn't be crossed.
Once again, just because you _can_ get away with something, doesn't mean you _should._


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## kasilofhome (Feb 10, 2005)

Nursing mothers in every state get a nursing break every four hours up to 30 minutes off the clock.


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## light rain (Jan 14, 2013)

I worked many years ago in a factory. It was the best paying job I had but it had its negatives. You were required to work OT when needed. 12 hour shifts, it the summertime it got so hot people would pass out. I worked 1 72 hr. work week, a lot of 60, 48 and some regular three day 12 hour shifts. After that 72 hour week I felt numb and really not sure how safe my driving was that 20 miles home. While it is possible to work like this what kind of impact does it have on workers, families and the community? :hrm:


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

lightrain, I know what you mean. I just did 60 hours in 6 days. Yesterday I was filling out paperwork and couldn't remember my name.


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## Becka03 (Mar 29, 2009)

okay- I dislike my job something fierce- but I am not dumb- I realize it is a cake walk esp. after reading these responses- 
thru the school yr- I get my Elem child on the bus- get to work at 8:45 -I start work then- take 30 min lunch break- leave at 2:30 to get him off the bus and then work from home starting at 3:00 until 5:30
in the summer- I work 8am until 4:30 pm...30 min lunch break

I admit my 30 min lunch break- at least 3 times a week is 50 minutes- 
the other 2 days I don't leave my desk and work and eat at the same time- 

okay- so my job isn't that bad- wow


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## Becka03 (Mar 29, 2009)

Becka03 said:


> I work at a gov job tech- at a state univ-
> I get an unpaid lunch-
> I ALWAYS leave my desk- otherwise- everyone thinks it is ok to ask me to do work- even if it is to walk on my lunch



I want to revise this answer-
I want to leave my desk - but I know I cannot every day- esp since I want a 50 min lunch most days


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## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

light rain said:


> I worked many years ago in a factory. *It was the best paying job I had* but it had its negatives. You were required to work OT when needed. 12 hour shifts, it the summertime it got so hot people would pass out. I worked 1 72 hr. work week, a lot of 60, 48 and some regular three day 12 hour shifts. After that 72 hour week I felt numb and really not sure how safe my driving was that 20 miles home. *While it is possible to work like this what kind of impact does it have on workers, families and the community? * :hrm:


I think you answered your own question.... It provided those workers with jobs, and nice fat paychecks so they could buy junkfood, cars, tv's, and all the other sordid junk people like to blow their money on.


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Yvonne's hubby said:


> I think you answered your own question.... It provided those workers with jobs, and nice fat paychecks so they could buy junkfood, cars, tv's, and all the other sordid junk people like to blow their money on.


You forgot houses too.  Dh works hours like that to make house payments and yeah, other sordid junk.


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## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

Danaus29 said:


> You forgot houses too.  Dh works hours like that to make house payments and yeah, other sordid junk.


I dont really consider a house to be in the same category as most of the junk people buy.... although most folks tend to overbuy when it comes to their homes, and a lot of them do contain a lot of useless junk. 2 or 3 outhouses.... right there in the house!


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## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

Some that buy a house are buying what some think they buy as junk. 
70% of the people that bought houses cheap under those low mortgages and then what caused the housing crises went the balloon payment time came, should have never ever, ever owned a house~!!.
So if some seem to put fast food into a junk category so can this then be considered junk buying then.
They should be RENTING until they CAN afford such a luxury as a home of this own.


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## light rain (Jan 14, 2013)

Yvonne's husband and Arabian knight, I have a friend that worked in a factory in Florida. She worked there for between 10 and 20 years. I doubt she ever misspent a penny. She worked there because it was the highest paying job she could get and her husband had a terminal disease. She worked for house insurance, taxes, food, AC, car maintenance and other such "sordid" items... During those years the pain got worse and worse for herself and her husband. It got to the point where she had to quit the factory job and go into a less lucrative job but one she really liked, homecare. During that time she buried her husband, whom she deeply loved and her pain just seemed to escalate. She applied for SSD 1 or 2 times and finally it was granted. She said it was the most degrading thing she had ever been through. She sold her bigger house and bought a smaller one more affordable to keep up and maintain. Come to find out she had RA for over 20 years and just kept on pushing forward to be self-sufficient.

There was a time when all work, menial and white collar, was respected. From some of the comments, I believe that time has passed.


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## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

I worked as long as I could and still be able to stand the pain, there toward the end I was taking over 25 Aspirins or Ibuprofens a DAY. 7 at a time and still could not even put a dampener on the pain. In both my knees, wrists and ankles.
That was 10 years ago and the best thing I did was go on SSDI. And in only one after signing up I had the first SSDI check in the bank. It really changed my life around for the better.
There is something to just making a go of it and trying to live through it OR Quality Of Life.
I choose Quality and boy it is nice. Been on SSDI now for 10 years. Course next year at 65 it goes into regular SS Benefits. But boy I never ever felt bad about it one bit. And nobody around me told me I was wrong or should be ashamed. It IS there for a Reason and a Purpose is to give folks a better quality of live, not just a so so one.


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## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

light rain said:


> There was a time when all work, menial and white collar, was respected. From some of the comments, I believe that time has passed.


Yeppers, and menial labor would probably still be respected.... if you could find anyone willing to do it.


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## michael ark (Dec 11, 2013)

arabian knight said:


> Some that buy a house are buying what some think they buy as junk.
> 70% of the people that bought houses cheap under those low mortgages and then what caused the housing crises went the balloon payment time came, should have never ever, ever owned a house~!!.
> So if some seem to put fast food into a junk category so can this then be considered junk buying then.
> They should be RENTING until they CAN afford such a luxury as a home of this own.


They were lead down the wrong road because of deregulation.http://reason.com/archives/2012/10/14/clintons-legacy-the-financial-and-housin


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