Hello!
So I am an hourly California employee, I work by myself as a full time contractor at a customer facility. The company I work for just implemented a new lunch break policy that I feel is completely unfair and irrational. Do you guys know if this is legal?
30 min break 1: at exactly 4 hours after clocking in. Cannot ge waived.
30 min break 2: At exactly 8 hours after clocking in, so basically 3 1/2 hours after the first meal break. Cannot be waived
30 min break 3: At exactly 12 hours after clocking in. Cannot be waived.
The state of California states that I must be given a lunch break before the end of the fifth hour so basically five hours and 30 minutes into my shift and then another 30 minutes after the 10th hour but my company completely undercut it and implemented their own
I work 9 paid hours every day. So basically they just added 2 1/2 hours to my week of unpaid time. My time back to my yard is also part of the time, So that eighth hour is always going to hit when I’m driving back to the yard which means I have to pull over and sit in my truck for 30 minutes for the second break. Mind you I work in 3 cities: Oakland, Richmond and Emeryville, Three of the highest crime and most dangerous cities in California, so I have to go sit in a random parking lot/neighborhood for 30 minutes staring off into space. I clearly will not spend the time eating because I just had my lunch break 3 1/2 hours prior. Not only is it illogical, Now my safety is being jeopardized by me having to sit in my car in parking lots and neighborhoods in some of the most dangerous cities in the state. My company truck also has a GPS so they will know if I’m not stopped for 30 minutes. This will also take me away from my family an extra 2 1/2 hours a week with no financial gain.
Do you guys see any issues with this or any way I can get around this?