Do me a favor! Check this out

[sorchawench]

Virginia's been on a mission lately. She's been fighting the fact that Texas, as well as a lot of other states AND the Federal Government has no required break for employees.

This basically means that if your company or job decides to work you 8 (or longer) hours straight, with no lunch, coffee, or smoke break....they can. And if they have had breaks in the past, it could change any time.

This came about when she was working at Golden Corral (buffet restaurant) and after telling them she was a diabetic and REQUIRED a break for a meal and to check her blood sugars, they worked her 9 hours straight without a break, because they had no break policy and no requirement to give her one.

She's working on a website, wants to make this legislation, and was even on TV today!!!! I'm proud of her. She did really well, considering she had like half an hour's notice that she was going to be on TV.

Go watch! And if you want to add your voice, let me know and I'll find a way to get you added to a petition.

Link to the story and video.

Comments

[kaytee4ever.livejournal.com]

cool! good for her! (and gah! even if you tell them plainly that you are DIABETIC they can still refuse you a break to eat and check your blood sugar? That is just asking for a worker's comp lawsuit. grr. stupid people. *smites them*

I was always told that here in Texas, you had to have at least a meal break if you work over x number of hours.

[sorchawench.livejournal.com]

Nope. No law at all. Scary, eh?

[kaytee4ever.livejournal.com]

Very!

Oh and I'm having a shallow moment, but I LOVE that icon! :)

[pooka.livejournal.com]

Put me on, and add the Jon of Morseness, since in October, he'll be a TX resident living with me.

This is the kind of stuff that keeps us broken old farts from working good jobs.

[greeklady.livejournal.com]

I had no idea you didn't have a break law. I thought that was what the unions did. Crazy! I hope she doesn't fall down and collapse as a result of not being able to check her blood sugar. That is insane that they can do that.

[stormdancer80.livejournal.com]

That is crazy. In PA, it is mandated that if you work over 4 hrs, you get a paid 15 min. break. If you work 6 hrs, you get an unpaid 30 min lunch. So if you work 8 hrs, you get 2 15 min. paid breaks and 1 unpaid 30 min lunch. I'm proud of her standing up for her right. This is just crazy. People need to use the bathroom, eat, and do anything they are required to do for their health like check blood sugar.

Even if the state doesn't protect you, I challenge any business to go against a doctor note that says she has to have a break for lunch and to check blood sugar. Go ahead and ignore that and watch the lawsuits pile up.

Good for her. I'd sign your petition, but I'm not a Texan. I hope everything works out well.

[alfinator.livejournal.com]

NY state is the same as PA and NY has had the break law for YEARS! What is Texas thinking - that everyone can do bigger, better hours, too?

I like the comment about the doctor's note. Even without having diabetes I know I need to eat regularly or sit on the floor. I've already done that here by mistake and thinking I would eat at the next break when working on the factory floor. Not fun at all even for a supposedly blood sugar healthy person.

[sorchawench.livejournal.com]

33 states & the federal government do not have mandatory break laws.