We rarely see them in action, yet we can’t live without them: trash collectors. These unsung heroes perform a tough job, often riding huge trucks and under condition where they can be easily injured.
THE ISSUE
The Shavitz Law Group has represented hundreds of trash collectors throughout the United States.
One of the issues such trash collectors report is that they do not get a meal break during the work day, but the company may still deduct a half hour a day for their meal period, despite there not really being one. In order for a meal break to be deductible time, an employee must be completely relieved of duty. Thus, if a trash collector is eating while driving from one site to the next, or simply eats on the go, such is not a bona fide break and the employer is not permitted to deduct the time from their total hours worked.
If you are subjected to meal break deductions, but don’t really take uninterrupted meal breaks for at least 20 minutes, contact us for a free consultation to learn more about your rights.