Kentucky Bill Would Eliminate Workers' Rights To Lunch Breaks
A state house committee this week approved a bill that would eliminate Kentucky workers’ rights to lunch and rest breaks, despite obfuscation by lawmakers over what the bill would do. Do Southern Republicans ever look out for workers? I haven't seen it. Via the Courier-Journal:
Kentucky law currently requires employers to give workers an unpaid lunch break in the middle of their shift. It also requires paid 10-minute rest breaks for every four hours worked, as well as time-and-a-half overtime pay on the seventh day of work in a row.
If enacted, House Bill 500, sponsored by Rep. Phillip Pratt, R-Georgetown, would repeal those requirements.
[...] Federal law does not require employers to offer lunch or rest breaks, and Pratt said the purpose of his bill is to “modernize” Kentucky labor law to match the federal law.
Pratt said the difference between the state and federal labor law creates “confusion” for Kentucky employers.
Yeah, that's what he's so concerned about: "Confusion."
Pratt says employers can still provide lunch breaks and rest periods if they want to, and his own landscaping company will continue to offer those breaks. (Let's see how long that lasts if this bill passes.)