Legal Question in Employment Law in California

Re: Meal Period

Breaks, meal periods, overtime pay, and other regulations associated with employment are governed by the Industrial Welfare Commission ("IWC") wage orders applicable to specific industries. The wage orders can be reviewed at the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement web site.

Generally, an employer must provide an unpaid meal period of at least 30 minutes to any employee who works more than five hours. However, by mutual agreement between the employee and the employer, the meal may be waived for employees who work six hours or less. Other factors, such as the occupation, industry or the existence of a collective-bargaining agreement can affect this general rule, however.