Home / Glossary / Meal Break Violations

California Employment Law Glossary

Meal Break Violations
Wage & Hour

 

Definition


 

California law requires employers to provide a 30-minute unpaid, uninterrupted meal break for every 5 hours worked. If your employer skips, shortens, or interrupts your meal break, they owe you one additional hour of pay - per violation. Many employers ignore this rule for years, generating significant accumulated liability.


Frequently Asked Questions

You're entitled to a 30-minute, off-duty, uninterrupted meal break for every 5 hours you work. If your employer denies, shortens, or interrupts that break, they owe you an extra hour of pay for that day.

If you were required or pressured to work through your meal break without receiving the one-hour premium, your employer may owe you back pay going back as far as four years, depending on when the violations occurred.

Think this applies to you?

Missed meal breaks add up fast. A free case review can help you calculate what your employer may owe you - going back up to four years.
Get a Free Case Review

Related

Practice Area

Meal & Rest Breaks

See Also

Wage Theft  ·  Unpaid Wages  ·  Overtime Violations

This glossary is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Reading this page does not create an attorney-client relationship with Lawyers for Employee and Consumer Rights. Laws change - for advice specific to your situation, contact our office for a free case review.