Originally Posted by
southamerica
In my state, an employer is legally obligated to give employees thirty minutes of uninterrupted paid break for five or more hours of work. In addition, an employer must give employees 15 minute paid breaks for every four hours of work.
As far as I remember federal law doesn't require breaks but only defines when compensation is required. You can see the law here:
Electronic Code of Federal Regulations:
To really know what type of breaks your employer is legally obligated to give, you would have to look up state laws. If you don't live in the USA, then local laws. Here is a site for state labor offices:
U.S. Department of Labor — Wage and Hour Division (WHD) — State Labor Offices
You didn't properly post your sites - they don't open.
At any rate, Federal Law states: "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."
Here is the law by State:
California – 1/2 hour after 5 hours worked, unless shift is only 6 hours
Colorado – 1/2 hour after 5 hours worked, unless shift is only 6 hours
Connecticut – if shift is 7.5 hours, 1/2 hour lunch after first 2 hours but before last 2 hours
Delaware – if shift is 7.5 hours, 1/2 hour lunch after first 2 hours but before last 2 hours
Illinois – required for hotel room attendants only
Kentucky – reasonable meal period between 3rd and 5th hour of shift
Maine – 1/2 hour after 6 consecutive hours
Massachusetts – 1/2 hour, if work is more than 6 hours
Minnesota – reasonable period, if shift is 8+ consecutive hours
Nebraska – 1/2 hour, off premises, at suitable lunch time
Nevada – 1/2 hour, if work is 8 consecutive hours
New Hampshire – 1/2 hour, after 5 consecutive hours – unless employee can eat while working
New York – 1/2 hour, if shift is more than 6 hours
North Dakota – 1/2 hour, if work is more than 5 hours
Oregon – 1/2 hour
Rhode Island – 20 minutes for 6 hour shift; 30 minutes for 8 hour shift
Tennessee – 1/2 hour, if shift is 6 hours
Washington – 1/2 hour, for 5 hour shift
West Virginia – 20 minutes, if work is more than 6 consecutive hours