Employees: meal periods.

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. This bill would authorize a commercial driver employed by a motor carrier transporting nutrients and byproducts from a licensed commercial feed manufacturer to a customer located in a remote rural location to commence a meal period after 6 hours of work, if the regular rate of pay of the driver is no less than one and one-half times the state minimum wage and the driver receives overtime compensation in accordance with specific provisions of existing law.