Minnesota Labor Laws Breaks

Understanding the Minnesota Labor Laws for Breaks

It’s important to know the specific Minnesota labor laws for breaks to understand what you’re dealing with when considering any job in the state. Why? Because it’s a brand-new world out there. And it’s easy to have your rights violated. There are scams. There are pitfalls.

A General Idea on Minnesota Labor Laws for Breaks

1. The Basics on a Legal Workweek

2. Understanding Overtime

3. The Deal With Breaks During Work

4. Nursing Mothers

5. School Visits

Of course, there’s much more to keep in mind. But for starters, you can’t start any better than here when it comes to Minnesota labor laws for breaks.

Starting with….

The Workweek

What is a workweek? By legal definition according to Minnesota labor laws for breaks, a “workweek” has no bearing on whether or not an employee is full or part time. Under the rules of MN labor laws for breaks, a workweek generally is fixed and regular with a recurring period of 168 hours and seven consecutive 24-hour periods.

So when seeing any job description or application regarding “workweeks,” pay close attention to what any application says about a standard workweek. For full-time, a workweek generally can be 48 hours a week. And your typical shift per day for full-time work would be 8 hours.

Overtime

According to the Minnesota Statutes 177.25, overtime’s calculated legally when a workweek goes past 48 hours of work. Once the hours go past that, the hourly wage would be 1 ½ times the regular rate of pay.

Now here’s a crucial question: can an employer fire an employee if refusing overtime? ….Yes. By law, the employer has authority to set the work schedule, whatever it may be. If it does require overtime, the employee must abide by it. An advance notice isn’t even required by the employer on behalf of the employee. It’s perfectly within the rights of any employer under MN labor laws for breaks.

The MN Labor Laws for Breaks: Meals

This is what the Minnesota labor law for breaks requires: restroom time and meal time. Those are the key words for MN labor laws for breaks to keep in mind. By Minnesota labor law for breaks, every employer must provide restroom time every four hours of work. Once an employee works eight or more hours, meal time must be provided. In addition, the Minnesota labor law for breaks states that any break that is less than 20 minutes must still be counted as workable hours.

Can Nursing Mothers Take Breaks for Breastfeeding Under MN Labor Laws for Breaks?

Even mothers can take breaks provided by the employer for the purpose of expelling breast milk for child(ren). The Minnesota labor law for breaks even requires an employer to provide a place for a nursing mother to do what she needs to do – and that place cannot be simply a toilet stall.

What About Time Off for School Visits?

Most definitely. By Minnesota labor law for breaks, employees are allowed to have up to 16 hours of unpaid leave for the purpose of:

1. School Conferences

2. Classroom Activities

3. Child Care

4. Early Childhood Program

Additionally, an employee can utilize vacation time for the purpose of these visits.

The More You Know, the Better

Labor Law keeps Corporate America going. So know this: it’s the best advice to know the best you can about the laws that keep the economy thriving.