No breaks during an 8-10 hour shift: Advice?

[Puri]

This thread is cute.

Not trying to belittle the OP's situation, just pointing out the amusement I get when reading threads like these.

I agree, coming from a country that by law requires a 30m pause if you work for more than 6 hours I am also quite amused.

[Aggrophobic]

Get another job?

[Mormolyce]

Or I can get a raise/promotion since I've gotten 2 already.

So did mine, without 13 hour shifts with no break.

In fact I work 9:30-5:30-ish and we have flexible working hours at every place I've worked at.

Benefit of working in a country with decent labour laws.

[pvrwizard]

See, it's really easy for you to say this, but when my options are this job which pays about 1.5x minimum wage or a regular minimum wage job, it's not so easy of a choice. I enjoy eating food sometimes. It's nice to be able to afford groceries, and even nicer to worry a bit less about even having money for gas to go to said job.

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S'why I'm working on my college degree. My other options for "proper jobs" include minimum wage jobs, currently, and I need to eat =/

check out a company called Answer One. they are an answering service for several businesses here in Arizona (assuming you are in the phoenix area).
they start out in the $13-$14 an hour range. have a lot of different shifts and good benefits. My grand daughter has been there almost a year and is now making over $15/hr.

[Orange Joe]

I'm not shitty, I treat them fairly and give them reasonable wages, but can hire a few cause of a reasonable wage that I choose to give. The weekend off. I give them paid time off to take care of themselves when it's appropriate. Sick days. 401k. Heath insurance. Dental. All this is easy for bigger Businesses to pull of but for smaller ones? HELL NO.

And not even that, they still act ungrateful and act like shits,
Some people are just born shitty, that's all there is to it.

IF you can't provide for your employees you shouldn't have business.

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Incorrect sir.
You can quit and still receive unemployment benefits. If there is causation for your reason to quit. I.E. You lose more than 25% of your hours and or pay due to a downshift of employment (I.E. Demotion) you can quit with cause and be eligible for benefits.
The most you can receive in MI is 375 a week however under unemployment benefits, so that's a quality of life situation that must be answered for itself.

http://www.nolo.com/legal-encycloped...-michigan.html

Reasons for Unemployment

You must be out of work through no fault of your own to qualify for unemployment benefits in Michigan.

Layoffs. If you were laid off, lost your job in a reduction-in-force (RIF), or got "downsized" for economic reasons, you will meet this requirement.

Quitting. You won't be eligible for unemployment benefits if you quit your job voluntarily, without good cause. In general, good cause means that you had a compelling work-related reason that left you no other choice than to leave. For example, if you left your job because of dangerous working conditions or discrimination that your employer refused to stop, you may be able to collect benefits. You may also remain eligible if you quit because your job was harmful to your mental or physical health, but only if you get a note from a medical professional to that effect and you tried unsuccessfully to secure alternative work with your employer or go on leave. Certain compelling personal reasons will also not disqualify you. For example, if you quit your job to relocate with a spouse who had to move for a new military assignment, you will still be eligible for benefits.

Firing. If you were fired because you lacked the skills to perform the job or simply weren't a good fit, you won’t necessarily be barred from receiving benefits. If, however, you were fired for misconduct relating to the job, you may be disqualified from receiving benefits. For example, you will likely be ineligible for benefits if you were fired for failing a drug test, being intoxicated at work, assaulting someone, stealing property, or failing to show up for work for three days in a row without notifying your employer.

You cannot get unemployment if you quit your job due to lowered hours/wages. The best you can do is apply for underemployment to help make up the difference.

[Deleted]

Not only can they get away with it, but there's a good chance that they could fire you for attempting to unionize (Wal-Mart will shut down entire stores and fire everyone if they think there's a chance it'll unionize, then they just reopen it a little while later with new employees).

That's sick. Where is the local government, can't you petition or just literally force their hand to change legislation?

[zenkai]

Hey all!

I recently started a new job tutoring young children at a nationwide tutoring franchise in Arizona. I love the job (as in, I love the kids that I work with and the environment) but am not so pleased with management. In particular, during an 8-10 hour workday I do not get a single break or lunch period, which I know is against Arizona law. Is there a government department I can contact to anonymously report this to? Or what other types of steps could I take?

I probably wouldn't put up much of a fuss, as the pay is good, but I have epilepsy and not being able to eat for 8-10 hours has been giving me auras and small seizures. Please help :3

Report them, you have to legally give someone a 15 min break every 4 hours of work and a 30 min lunch every 5.

[Orange Joe]

That's sick. Where is the local government, can't you petition or just literally force their hand to change legislation?

Only thing we can do is vote people in that would change the laws.

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Report them, you have to legally give someone a 15 min break every 4 hours of work and a 30 min lunch every 5.

Did you not read anything in this thread?

Everything you stated is 100%false.


federal laws have no break requirements, Nor does the state he lives in.

[ro9ue]

Hey all!

I recently started a new job tutoring young children at a nationwide tutoring franchise in Arizona. I love the job (as in, I love the kids that I work with and the environment) but am not so pleased with management. In particular, during an 8-10 hour workday I do not get a single break or lunch period, which I know is against Arizona law. Is there a government department I can contact to anonymously report this to? Or what other types of steps could I take?

I probably wouldn't put up much of a fuss, as the pay is good, but I have epilepsy and not being able to eat for 8-10 hours has been giving me auras and small seizures. Please help :3

Just take a lunch break. Honestly, just do it. What are they going to do? Nothing. If they ask you what you're doing you simply say I'm taking my lunch break - required by Arizona law.

[Captain N]

Just take a lunch break. Honestly, just do it. What are they going to do? Nothing. If they ask you what you're doing you simply say I'm taking my lunch break - required by Arizona law.

You didn't read the thread did you?

Arizona is a Right-To-Work state. There's a strong possibility that his tutoring center is non-union.

They also don't have State Laws about meal and break periods:

Arizona does not have any labor laws requiring an employer to provide a meal period or breaks to employees, thus the federal rule applies. The federal rule does not require an employer to provide either a meal (lunch) period or breaks. However, if an employer chooses to do so, breaks, usually of the type lasting less than 20 minutes, must be paid. Meal or lunch periods (usually 30 minutes or more) do not need to be paid, so long as the employee is free to do as they wish during the meal or lunch period

And unfortunately Federal Law doesn't include them either:

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. Unauthorized extensions of authorized work breaks need not be counted as hours worked when the employer has expressly and unambiguously communicated to the employee that the authorized break may only last for a specific length of time, that any extension of the break is contrary to the employer's rules, and any extension of the break will be punished.

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.

[Orange Joe]

Just take a lunch break. Honestly, just do it. What are they going to do? Nothing. If they ask you what you're doing you simply say I'm taking my lunch break - required by Arizona law.

Fire him
AZ has no break requirement.



Jesus christ how are so many ignorant of work laws in America?

[Tehshocka]

All this "advice" is going to wind up getting the OP a pink slip after finally finding a job that pays well.

I am salaried and easily work over 50+ hours a week, with some of those days skipping lunch due to conference calls. It's just how work in the US works sometimes.

I would ask if they would be willing to give you 15 minutes to collect yourself, but calling up all sorts of government agencies will get your ass canned in a right to work state. Plus you will have no legal recourse. If you are late to work multiple times, where they might of turned the other way before, are now collecting paper work on you to make sure when they do give you your pink slip there are no repercussions.

Tread lightly if you really enjoy this job and the pay.

[Zandermill]

IF you can't provide for your employees you shouldn't have business.

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You cannot get unemployment if you quit your job due to lowered hours/wages. The best you can do is apply for underemployment to help make up the difference.

As someone who quit after hours and pay were cut, by my company sending work oversea's just recently in Michigan, I assure you that I am not incorrect. Again, Causation - or Cause. I've since gotten new employment, and am now collecting underemployment from UIA, but that was after I filed adjustment of work.

UIA filed the cause as reduction in pay as cause, and allowed benefits to be collected. YMMV.

[Ashnazg]

All this "advice" is going to wind up getting the OP a pink slip after finally finding a job that pays well.

I am salaried and easily work over 50+ hours a week, with some of those days skipping lunch due to conference calls. It's just how work in the US works sometimes.

I would ask if they would be willing to give you 15 minutes to collect yourself, but calling up all sorts of government agencies will get your ass canned in a right to work state. Plus you will have no legal recourse. If you are late to work multiple times, where they might of turned the other way before, are now collecting paper work on you to make sure when they do give you your pink slip there are no repercussions.

Tread lightly if you really enjoy this job and the pay.

There is a difference between skipping lunch because of your own scheduling issues (taking a conference call) vs skipping lunch because you are literally expected to be present at your workspace the entire 8 hours of your shift and (presumably) have no opportunity to eat even if you order takeout.

[haxartus]

I can't believe how poorly treated are the employees in America, even the law being against you so to speak.
Listening to your stories here, makes me appreciate my job even more (Europe).

All of this comes from the idea that if you don't regulate companies, they will grow bigger and invest more, making everyone richer. Which is funny because the experience from Europe and other high income regions has shown that you can have huge growth and good quality of life while keeping the regulations.
So, this is a failed idea. It doesn't work. But the US is a huge country which is very politically divided, and such ideas are core ideology for quite a lot of people. So it's very hard, if not impossible, for these ideas to disappear, even if they are wrong.

[Gaidax]

All this "advice" is going to wind up getting the OP a pink slip after finally finding a job that pays well.

No, this advice will motivate OP to find better jobs that treat it's employees more reasonably.

In which fucked up world giving a lunch break to employees is considered a shameful and unreasonable thing to do? Some replies here genuinely make me drop my jaw.

I used to visit Chinese electronics assembly factories and even those guys there get 1 full hour of lunch break and rest and it's even paid (even if salary is a joke, the point is that hour is included in the pay).

And US does not do that? Really? Wow...

You can bet in my country if employer would deny lunch breaks, he'd be sued into oblivion in a blink of an eye and somehow businesses here don't go bankrupt over this.


Last thing: having proper lunch at proper time and with enough time to actually enjoy it and recover is a health thing - not having this is not worth the pittance you are paid - you will end up spending that money on doctors and medicine in the long run like that.

[Orange Joe]

No, this advice will motivate OP to find better jobs that treat it's employees more reasonably.

In which fucked up world giving a lunch break to employees is considered a shameful and unreasonable thing to do? Some replies here genuinely make me drop my jaw.

I used to visit Chinese electronics assembly factories and even those guys there get 1 full hour of lunch break and rest and it's even paid (even if salary is a joke, the point is that hour is included in the pay).

And US does not do that? Really? Wow...

You can bet in my country if employer would deny lunch breaks, he'd be sued into oblivion in a blink of an eye and somehow businesses here don't go bankrupt over this.

I've only seen one person post this way. Mind giving an example of what you are talking about?

21 states have laws that required workplace breaks, The rest don't. There is no federal law requiring breaks.

[zenkai]

Only thing we can do is vote people in that would change the laws.

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Did you not read anything in this thread?

Everything you stated is 100%false.


federal laws have no break requirements, Nor does the state he lives in.

Why would I read 153 replies especially if some of then was written by you?

[Orange Joe]

Why would I read 153 replies especially if some of then was written by you?

So you don't make ignorant posts? But I guess if you are ok with looking like an idiot (read woke independent) By all means continue.

[zenkai]

So you don't make ignorant post?

Less than you do.