I certainly was (in a bad way). I wanted a clearer picture on what's actually legal or not in my state, since we get a lot of posts on here asking “Is xyz legal? How about zyx?”, and it sent me down a rabbit hole on the states department of labor website. Turns out my state has a lot less than I hoped for. This is for North Carolina by the way, I know some of y'all have better state laws than this.
For starters, I recently got told that it's illegal for employers to not offer a rest/meal break for employees. Turns out that's not true.
there are no required rest breaks or meal breaks at all for employees 16 years of age or older.
So that's fun. It's all up to the employer if they offer any meal/rest breaks at all. Now, if they offer them to you when you're hired they can't just take them away, but they legally don't have to offer them at all.
Want to leave during your break? (if you get one at all) You might not be able to.
An employer does not have to let its employees leave the employer's premises as long as the employee is completely relieved of duty during the 30-minute break, and the employer does not have to provide a breakroom
Wondering if you're entitled to any sick leave, or holiday pay?
an employer is not required by law to give mandatory wage benefits such as vacation pay, sick leave, jury duty pay, and holiday pay to its employees regardless of how many hours a week they work
Need to call out during extreme weather?
How an employer treats its employees during adverse weather conditions comes under the concept of “employment-at-will.” This means that unless there is a specific law to protect employees or there is an employment contract providing otherwise, then an employer may treat its employees as it sees fit, and the employer can hire or discharge employees at the will of the employer for any reason or no reason at all.
Pregnant and need some time off? What about parental leave? You can take FMLA for up to 12 weeks, which is unpaid, but that's all that's legally offered.
There are two types of state laws that might protect you if you need pregnancy leave: laws prohibiting pregnancy discrimination and laws that require pregnancy leave. Although some states have one or both of these types of laws, North Carolina has neither.
All in all, every single thing I researched made me realize this a very unappetizing state to work in. Bonus points, our minimum wage is still $7.25. It just keeps getting better and better.
(all of this came from NCDOL and this for the parental leave)