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Unfortunately, Florida whose employment laws I hate because they are so non existent -- It's meal break laws are governed under Federal law which does not require the employer to provide meal or rest breaks unless the employee is under the age of 17 and they are required to give them at minimum a 30 minute break. And for the record Zhimbus, NY does not require meal breaks either unless the individual works in the manufacturing (factory) industry or per a collective bargaining agreement, and a number of other factors. Otherwise, we are just as screwed as Florida employees.

Lunch requirements

Under federal law, your employer does not have to provide lunch or coffee breaks. Also, your employer does not have to pay you for lunch breaks that you are given.

However, your state might have mandatory meal breaks. The requirements vary, but many employees are guaranteed a 30 minute meal period per shift. To qualify, your shift will generally need to be 6 hours, and maybe even 8 hours long.

These states require meal periods: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Washington, and West Virginia.

To find your state’s requirements, consult the Department of Labor’s chart on meal periods.

Coffee Breaks

Like meal periods, the federal government does not require coffee breaks. However, any short breaks (usually 5-20 minutes) that you are given must be paid.

A few states give you a right to short breaks. In these states, you generally get a 10-minute break for every 4-hour shift. These states include: California, Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington.

Read more here:

http://www.legalandrew.com/2007/06/07/lunch-break-...