Is your manager not paying when you work through your break?

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Specializes in Corrections, Cardiac, Hospice.

Our local hospital, who our hospice is associated with, just got into A LOT of trouble recently. Apparently, a new employee put in no lunch break slips and her manager didn't pay her for them. (Guess the new girl didn't get the memo that it is just expected in the nursing field that you don't get a lunch break:rolleyes:) Anyway, new employee turned the institution over to U.S. Dept of Labor:yeah: After a quick investigation the hospital has come around and decided it might be best to follow the law. They have even set up a mandatory training program on the computor to inform all employees that if they don't have 20 minutes of UNINTERRUPTED lunch break, they are to be paid.

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Specializes in MICU.
Our local hospital, who our hospice is associated with, just got into A LOT of trouble recently. Apparently, a new employee put in no lunch break slips and her manager didn't pay her for them. (Guess the new girl didn't get the memo that it is just expected in the nursing field that you don't get a lunch break:rolleyes:) Anyway, new employee turned the institution over to U.S. Dept of Labor:yeah: After a quick investigation the hospital has come around and decided it might be best to follow the law. They have even set up a mandatory training program on the computor to inform all employees that if they don't have 20 minutes of UNINTERRUPTED lunch break, they are to be paid.

wow i can not imagine what i would do with 20 mins of eating lunch not in the hallway outside my pts room...or getting paid that extra money...thats awesome i wish my hospital did that :bow:

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Specializes in Corrections, Cardiac, Hospice.
thats awesome i wish my hospital did that :bow:

I guess that is the point to my post. FEDERAL law states you must have 20 minutes of uninterrupted break. That does not mean charting while your eating, answering call lights or catching up on other stuff. That means sitting down, eating dinner and relaxing. If you do not have that, you are entitled to compensation.:D Therefore, you hospital MUST do that too.

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.
I guess that is the point to my post. FEDERAL law states you must have 20 minutes of uninterrupted break. That does not mean charting while your eating, answering call lights or catching up on other stuff. That means sitting down, eating dinner and relaxing. If you do not have that, you are entitled to compensation.:D Therefore, you hospital MUST do that too.

Break? What break?

:banghead:

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Specializes in Nursing Home ,Dementia Care,Neurology..

We do get a paid break...I've not had one in 17 years!!If you're lucky you can bolt a sandwich and go for a pee...if you're lucky.

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.
We do get a paid break...I've not had one in 17 years!!If you're lucky you can bolt a sandwich and go for a pee...if you're lucky.

Nice that you at least get paid for the breaks that you don't get. They deduct ours. :(

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Specializes in Nursing Home ,Dementia Care,Neurology..

The only reason I get paid is I'm the only RN in the building so no one can spell me for a break.On days the RN's don't get paid for their breaks as they can spell each other.

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Woo hoo, new girl! She rocks!

And if the hospital retaliates, I suspect she'll stir up trouble again.

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Specializes in US Army.

I think all nurses in similar situations should contact the U.S. Dept of Labor. This may force a few institutions to change a thing or two. Keep up the good work.

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In California you get a 30 minute meal break. If you miss it or it is interrupted you get paid for one hour of pay. You also get 2 10 minute breaks in an 8 hr shift if you miss one or both of those you get 1 hour pay, whether you miss one or both. We have to fill out a miss meal or break form and then we put it on our time card. It happens pretty rarely that I do not get my breaks.

The nurses on my unit are very good about charging for missed break when it occurs, some nurses on other units where I work don't charge which unfortunately only hurts nurses and makes my managers budget look bad. Rumor has it managers on some units give their staff a hard time if they put in for no breaks and again those nurses do not complain to the union.

://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/FAQ_MealPeriods.htm link to Cal state policy

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Specializes in PICU/NICU.

Same thing happened in my town--- Nurses not getting paid when they put down "no lunch" on their time card. Dept of Labor got involved, audited their records for the past 2 years.... and not only did the hospital have to back pay these nurses for their worked through lunches, they were required to pay them for the last 2 years!!! Not just the complaining nurses either... any hospital employee! Guess that will teach 'um!!

I've never worked anywhere that has given me a problem paying for a worked through lunch. I do not consider scarfing a sandwich outside of my pt's room a break either and when that happens- I charge for no lunch.

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Specializes in PICU/NICU.

I realize that as nurses, we do not always get our required breaks-----believe me I've gone 12 hours without going pee too many times to count.

But don't you guys all charge for no break??

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