That sounds hard, CityBoy. I applaud you for doing that sort of work and enduring that. I wish you were able to take the breaks you're entitled to, too, for your safety and health. I think I remember reading that U.S. Department of Labor guidelines say pretty much exactly what Tootsie said earlier: Employers are supposed to provide a lunch break of 30 minutes or more--and a 10-minute break additionally for every four hours you work. Those guidelines, if I'm not mistaken, are applicable to employers/businesses of more than a certain size, but I'm not sure what that size is. The thinking is that, say, a small four-man firm couldn't afford always to go by those DoL guidelines and stay afloat.

As is mostly the case in the U.S., employers can really do whatever they want, especially in a so-called Right to Work state (as opposed to a union-stronghold state). There's not really any enforcement of DoL standards. So employers don't really have to fear not giving employees their proper due of break and lunch time. The only danger would be if an employee filed a complaint with the DoL, which is a fairly common occurrence. Employers can sometimes be fined or forced to pay employees for that over-worked past time. Still, an official complaint often ends up getting the complainant fired in the end. Or at least targeted as a troublemaker till he leaves on his own.

The subject of time on and time off interests me, both as a former corporate professional and as a future doctor. I know they're starting to set more limits about on-duty time for interns and residents as a matter of patient safety, and so I'm hoping the 36-hours on-duty-time followed by only 12 or, at the max, 24 hours off will be a thing of the past by the time I get to that point.

Good luck with your job, CityBoy!
birdgirl73 Reviewed by birdgirl73 on . Isn't this illegal? (my new job) First of all, let me just say, I DO NOT have any intentions of quitting my job, no matter how bullshit it is, because I need the money and it's the best paying job I've ever had in my life. But check this out... I work 10 hour days. I get 30 minutes for lunch, and a 10 minute break in the afternoon, and that's it. This is my schedule: 7:00 a.m. - start work 11:15 a.m. - 30 minute lunch 3:00 p.m. - 10 minute break 5:30 p.m. - end work Rating: 5