In another effort by the Schwarzenegger administration to crack down on the class action lawsuits clogging California courtrooms, a proposed “lunch-break law” seeks to establish new rules for required employee meal-and-rest breaks. The suggested revision to Title 8 of Section 13700 from California’s Division of Labor Standards Enforcement would only require employers to inform workers of their right to a meal period, rather than enforce a lunch break. As the law stands, employees must break for 30-minutes following their fifth hour of work.
Making California friendlier for business is at the top of Schwarzenegger’s agenda, and the current regulations provide a raft of opportunities for class action lawsuits. Under the current incarnation of Title 8, which has been in effect since 2000, employers are vulnerable to litigation if a worker refuses to take meal breaks, an employee is not informed of his or her right to a break or an employer doesn’t provide a break.
