Similar bills have passed and been vetoed before. Supporters say it’s for the health and productivity of workers. Opponents say it could be detrimental to business operations and to workers who prefer to cut the day shorter without a midday break.
According to a bill, the House Labor and Economic Development Committees passed Friday, no employee would have to work more than five consecutive hours without a 30 minute meal break.
"On the one hand you have what you think would be an inherent right where workers are working long hours, even for the purposes of efficiency, you’d want to provide for a meal break," said Labor Department director Dwight Takamine.
Many employer groups say it would be problematic.
"Right now I do my deliveries, I run here I run there, I pick up lunch along the way, I eat along the way and I get paid for that, I don’t have to punch in and punch out, plus, when i’m on my run, if it’s time to take a lunch break, where the heck can I park," said Gareth Sakakida of the Hawaii Transportation Association.
"We’re an operation that’s open anywhere from 12 to 24 hours a day with varying types of schedules that need to work for the needs of the employer. We can’t fully staff a store," said Carol Pregill of Retail Merchants of Hawaii.
The Labor Department said some flexibility would have to be worked into the law to fit various employer scenarios.
"There are particular circumstances under which there are real practical difficulties in terms of implementing a mandate such as this," Takamine says.
The law wouldn’t affect most larger employers already covered by federal work-break rules, nor any workers already by a collective bargaining lunch-break clause. While many supporters see the rule as a benefit for workers, some opponents say workers themselves might not want the extra unpaid 30 minutes added to their overall work day stretch.
"We think it would hurt employees who would not like to take their lunch so that they could leave early," said Jim Tollefson of the Hawaii Chamber of Commerce.
Other states including California, Oregon and Washington have similar lunch break laws.
See the original article at: KHON2 Local News
