Arizona breaks and lunches

I know there is Federal law regarding breaks and lunches but does Arizona have specific laws. I need to know whether AZ employers can enforce mandatory breaks/lunches after a certain number of hours worked and then how long of a break or lunch is required? Thanks

Comments

  • 4 Comments sorted by Votes Date Added
  • Dawn: Looks as if no Arizona attorney is going to jump on this one. If you have a state labor department they could field your question. If you hit a dead end, try calling a counterpart in one of the other industries in your area and asking. If you're not sure who to call, simply pick an industry similar to yours, call and ask for Human Resources. Introduce yourself and ask for their assistance with your question. Hope you get your answer. x:-)
  • Arizona doesn't have such law. However we give employees 2 fifteen minutes breaks and 1 hour or 1/2 hour lunch. I just moved from CT and there we did have a law regarding lunches and breaks (1/2 for every 7 hours worked). I know it is really hard to keep up. hope this helps!
  • Nope, no laws. We give breaks - 2 at 15 minutes per 8 hrs. It's really not set in stone - give a little leeway, and we normally don't get taken advantage of. We're open 24/7, so as for a "food" break, we have departments who work 8 for 8, some 8 1/2 for 8, some 9 for 8. Gets a little confusing, but works for us.
  • Hi Dawn -

    The other writers are correct, there is no law (other than federal law) governing breaks and lunches in Arizona. Consequently, you may enforce lunch breaks and deduct pay for lunch breaks that are at least 30 minutes long, where the employee is completely free to go about their personal business. However, you are not REQUIRED to give any "breaks" in a shift, or even lunch breaks, for that matter. This is customary, but not required by law (contrary to many employees' beliefs!)

    There are different wage & hour laws that apply to minors however. If you employ anyone under 18 let us know and we will give you the details on that.

    Jane Reddin
    Lewis and Roca LLP
    Arizona Employment Law Letter

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