Employees: meal breaks.

Existing law generally prohibits an employer from requiring an employee to work more than 5 hours per day without providing a meal period of not less than 30 minutes. Existing law excepts employees in specified occupations that meet certain conditions from this prohibition and authorizes the Industrial Welfare Commission to adopt a working condition order permitting a meal period to commence after 6 hours of work if the order is consistent with the health and welfare of affected employees. Existing law makes a violation of these provisions a misdemeanor. This bill would authorize an employee to submit a written request to his or her employer to take an on-duty meal period in order to reduce the employee's work shift by not less than 30 minutes, as specified. The bill would prohibit an employer from encouraging or soliciting an employee to request an on-duty meal period. Because this bill would expand the definition of a crime, it would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.