Are Massachusetts Employers Required To Provide Meal Breaks?
When an employer fails to provide a meal break or does not pay an employee for short rest breaks during the day, some employers will say, “that’s just the way we do things here.” However, the law holds otherwise.
Under Massachusetts law, most employers are required to provide a 30-minute meal break to employees who work at least six hours a day. While employers are not required to provide brief rest breaks, if they choose to provide them, they are required to pay you for breaks that last five to 20 minutes long.
If your employer is not providing you a meal break or is not paying you for brief rest breaks, call [nap_phone id=”LOCAL-REGULAR-NUMBER-2″] to discuss your case with a lawyer at [nap_names id=”FIRM-NAME-3″]. Your consultation is confidential.
What If I Eat Lunch At My Desk?
During your half-hour lunch break, you must be free to leave your employer’s premises. In addition, your employer cannot require you to perform job duties during your lunch break.
Are All Employers Required To Provide Meal Breaks?
Some Massachusetts employers, including paper mills, glass works and some other manufacturers, are not required to provide meal breaks. Our attorneys can determine if your employer is required to provide meal breaks.
What If My Employer Doesn’t Provide Rest Breaks?
Unfortunately, neither the federal Fair Labor Standards Act nor Massachusetts law requires employers to provide rest breaks.
For More Information About Meal And Rest Breaks
For more information, call our Massachusetts unpaid break time attorneys at [nap_phone id=”LOCAL-REGULAR-NUMBER-2″] or email us your question. We are located in downtown Boston.
In addition to representing individuals, our lawyers represent groups of employees who are similarly affected by unpaid meal and rest breaks.