(650) 332-8623Massachusetts Break Laws: Meals, Rests, and More (2026)
Massachusetts requires a 30-min meal break after 6 hours. Learn 2026 break law rules, penalties, and exemptions for MA employers.
Quick Answer
- Massachusetts break laws require a 30-minute meal break for any shift over 6 consecutive hours.
- Massachusetts does not require paid rest breaks. 10-minute and 15-minute breaks are not mandated for adult workers.
- The meal break is unpaid only if the employee is fully relieved of duty. If a crew member works through it, the employer owes wages for that time.
- Violations can trigger AG civil citations of $7,500 to $25,000 per violation, plus triple damages in private lawsuits.
Understanding Massachusetts break laws
Are breaks required by law in Massachusetts? Yes, for one specific kind of break: the meal period. Everything else below breaks that single rule down by worker type, industry, and enforcement risk. For the full picture beyond breaks, including wages, overtime, and recordkeeping, see our complete guide to Massachusetts labor laws.
Meal breaks
Laws in MA governing meal breaks
Massachusetts meal break law requires a 30-minute break for any employee who works more than six consecutive hours in a calendar day. This rule comes from M.G.L. c. 149, § 100 (also written as M.G.L. c. 149 Section 100), and it applies whether a crew is pouring concrete, framing a roof, or running wire on a five-day punch list.
Whether you call it Massachusetts break laws, MA break laws, mass labor laws breaks, or Massachusetts work break laws, the underlying rule is the same: one 30-minute meal break, one statute, one threshold. Massachusetts lunch break law and Massachusetts meal break law refer to the same requirement. Some searches use “lunch,” others use “meal,” but M.G.L. c. 149, § 100 doesn’t distinguish between the two. The same is true of MA lunch break law, which is simply a shorthand for the statewide rule described below.
For most employees (Section 100): Employers must provide a 30-minute meal break for shifts over six consecutive hours. During the break, the employee must be relieved of all duties and free to leave the jobsite. If a supervisor asks a crew member to stay on-site or keep working through the break, that time counts as paid hours.
For minors (Section 56): Employers must post a minor’s weekly schedule, including hours and breaks, in a visible location. Workers under 18 are barred from certain hazardous tasks common on active jobsites, including operating specific power equipment and working at unprotected heights.
Exemptions (Section 101): The meal break statute does not apply to ironworks, glassworks, paper mills, letterpress establishments, print works, bleaching works, or dyeing works. The Attorney General may grant additional exemptions where continuous production or special circumstances make a break impractical, as long as the exemption doesn’t harm affected employees.
Rest breaks
Laws in MA governing rest breaks
Massachusetts does not require 15-minute rest breaks for adult workers. If you searched Massachusetts labor laws 15 minute breaks looking for a yes, here’s the direct answer: no state law in Massachusetts mandates a paid 10-minute or 15-minute rest period for adult employees. Massachusetts 15-minute break laws simply don’t exist in the statute. This is the single most common misunderstanding in the state’s break law cluster.
The state defers to federal rules on this point. Under 29 CFR 785.18, if an employer voluntarily offers a short break of 20 minutes or less, federal law requires that time to be paid as hours worked. Massachusetts adds nothing beyond that federal floor for adult rest breaks. The only mandatory break under Massachusetts law is the 30-minute meal period in Section 100.
What's the difference?
Meal breaks vs. rest breaks in MA
Meal breaks and rest breaks are governed by different rules in Massachusetts, and mixing them up is where most compliance mistakes start.
Rest breaks: Federal law does not require rest breaks. If an employer chooses to offer one under 20 minutes, that time must be paid (29 CFR 785.18). Massachusetts has no additional state rest break requirement.
Meal breaks: Massachusetts requires a mandatory 30-minute break for shifts over six hours, unpaid only if the employee is fully relieved of duty (M.G.L. c. 149, § 100). Federal law under 29 CFR 785.19 treats bona fide meal periods the same way, but Massachusetts is the party that actually mandates the break exist in the first place.
Exemptions
Which workers are exempt from MA's break laws?
Massachusetts meal break law covers most employees who work more than six hours. A short list of specialized industries are exempt under Section 101: ironworks, glassworks, paper mills, letterpress establishments, print works, bleaching works, and dyeing works. Construction is not on that list. General contractors, subcontractors, and specialty trades must comply with the standard 30-minute rule regardless of trade.
The Attorney General can grant case-by-case exemptions if continuous production processes make a break impractical, including situations covered by a collective bargaining agreement, provided the exemption does not harm the employees involved
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Other types of breaks for workers in Massachusetts
Massachusetts law layers extra protections onto the standard 30-minute rule for workers under 18. Employers must post a minor’s weekly schedule, including designated break times, somewhere the minor can see it. If a minor works during a scheduled meal break without the employer’s knowledge or consent, the employer is not held liable as long as the required notice was posted (Section 102).
Massachusetts and federal law both protect break time for nursing employees, and the two sets of protections stack.
Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (Massachusetts): Employers with six or more employees must provide reasonable accommodations for lactation. This includes a private, non-bathroom space to express milk (MCAD Guidance on the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, effective April 1, 2018).
PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act (federal): Effective December 29, 2022, this law entitles nearly all FLSA-covered employees to reasonable break time and a private, non-bathroom space to express milk for up to one year after childbirth.
Massachusetts grants eligible employees up to eight weeks of job-protected parental leave for the birth or adoption of a child, once an initial probationary period is complete. The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act separately requires reasonable accommodations for pregnancy-related conditions, which can include more frequent breaks and temporary lifting restrictions on a jobsite.
Day of Rest
The Massachusetts day of rest law is a requirement most break-law guides skip entirely, even though it ranks as one of the most-searched Massachusetts break law questions. Under M.G.L. c. 149, §§ 48–50, most employers must give an employee one day off after six consecutive days of work. That day off must include an unbroken period between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., unless the employee consents to a different arrangement.
This matters for crews running compressed six-day schedules to hit a deadline. A framing crew working six straight days to close in a structure before a storm still triggers the day-of-rest requirement on day seven. That’s true regardless of overtime pay already issued for the extra day.
Building a schedule that respects both project deadlines and the day-of-rest requirement is easier with a plan in place. See our construction employee scheduling guide for practical templates.
One note on adjacent history: the Blue Laws requirement for Sunday and holiday premium pay was fully phased out as of January 1, 2023. Standard overtime rules now apply to Sunday and holiday work for most private employers, with no separate premium obligation layered on top.
Differences between MA and federal break laws
Federal law sets a lower floor than Massachusetts law on almost every break-related question.
Federal law: No mandatory rest or meal breaks exist under the FLSA. If an employer voluntarily offers a short break of 20 minutes or less, that time must be paid (29 CFR 785.18). Meal periods of 30 minutes or more can be unpaid if the employee is completely relieved of duty (29 CFR 785.19).
Massachusetts law: A 30-minute meal break is mandatory for any shift over six consecutive hours (M.G.L. c. 149, § 100). The break can be unpaid only if the employee is fully relieved of duty and free to leave the jobsite. Massachusetts adds no additional rest break requirement on top of the federal floor.
Contractors running crews across state lines should treat Massachusetts as the stricter standard and build schedules around the 30-minute meal break rule rather than assuming federal minimums apply everywhere.
Recordkeeping requirements for breaks in Massachusetts
Massachusetts break laws require employers to document meal breaks as part of standard payroll recordkeeping, and the 30-minute break law requirements go beyond a simple time punch. Contact information for the Massachusetts Attorney General Fair Labor Division appears at the end of this guide. Employers or employees can use it to file a complaint or ask a compliance question directly.
Payroll records (M.G.L. c. 151, § 15): Employers must retain payroll records for at least three years, including employee name and address, job title, amount paid each pay period, and daily and weekly hours worked. Employees have the right to inspect their own payroll records at reasonable times and places.
Pay stubs (M.G.L. c. 149, § 148): Every pay period, employers must issue a detailed pay statement showing employer and employee names, the payment date, hours worked, hourly rate, and all deductions or additions. Employers cannot charge for pay stubs, and electronic stubs are permitted if employees can print them at no cost.
Personnel records (M.G.L. c. 149, § 52C): Employees have the right to review or copy their personnel file within five business days of a written request. Employers must notify an employee if negative information is added to their file, and the employee may submit a written response for inclusion.
Massachusetts penalties for meal and break violations
Massachusetts break law penalties are not theoretical for construction employers. The Attorney General’s Fair Labor Division has already named construction as one of the industries with the highest enforcement activity in the state. Since the start of Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell’s term, the office has secured more than $4.5 million in back wages and penalties through over 500 enforcement actions against construction employers alone.
$7,500–$25,000 per violation
Civil citations ($7,500–$25,000 per violation): Under M.G.L. c. 149, § 27C, the Attorney General can issue civil citations ordering restitution and penalties. Maximum penalties range from $7,500 to $25,000 per violation, depending on whether it’s a first offense and whether the violation was intentional. Each pay period a violation continues can count as a separate offense.
Triple damagesUnpaid meal break wages
If an employer fails to pay for time worked through a meal break, that failure violates the wage payment statute (M.G.L. c. 149, § 148). Employees who sue over unpaid wages are entitled to triple damages plus attorney’s fees under M.G.L. c. 149, § 150.
Criminal penaltiesWillful violations
For willful violations, the Attorney General can pursue criminal enforcement carrying penalties up to $50,000 and up to two years imprisonment per violation. This route is reserved for the most serious cases.
Statewide enforcement in FY2025: In fiscal year 2025 alone, the Fair Labor Division took 1,542 enforcement actions against 1,405 employers. The division helped more than 137,890 workers and assessed over $196.6 million in restitution and penalties statewide.
Employers who receive a civil citation have 21 days to pay restitution and penalties. They have 10 days to file an appeal with the Division of Administrative Law Appeals and the Attorney General’s Office.
Misconceptions about meals and breaks in MA
Some employees in Massachusetts believe they are automatically entitled to take 15-minute breaks.
Searches for Massachusetts labor laws 15 minute breaks are common, but no such rule exists. Massachusetts labor laws do not require 15-minute breaks, or breaks of any length, beyond the single 30-minute meal period for shifts over six hours.
Understanding Massachusetts employee break rights starts with that one rule and stops there. There’s no second, shorter break hiding in the statute. This is the most common misunderstanding in Massachusetts break law searches, and it costs employers real money when they schedule paid rest breaks they were never required to schedule.
Employees may assume that any shift longer than six hours entitles them to a meal break without exception, regardless of job type or industry.
A short list of exempt industries under Section 101, such as ironworks and paper mills, are excused from the standard rule. Construction is not on that list.
Under Massachusetts law, meal breaks lasting 30 minutes or more are unpaid.
An unpaid meal break Massachusetts law allows only when the employee is fully relieved of duty and free to leave. If a crew member works through the break or is required to stay on-site, that time is paid. That’s the entire meal period requirement Massachusetts imposes on employers. Relief from duty is what makes the break unpaid, not the length of the break itself.
Employees might think that all workers, regardless of industry, have identical rights to meal breaks.
Section 101’s exempt industries do not share the same break protections as most employers, and the Attorney General can grant further case-by-case exemptions for continuous-process work.
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Employees: Know your rights to meals and breaks in Massachusetts
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Most employees working more than six consecutive hours in Massachusetts are entitled to a 30-minute meal break, free from duties and away from the jobsite. If an employer requires a crew member to work through that break or stay on-site, the time must be paid.
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Minors working over six hours receive the same 30-minute break, plus additional protections including posted work schedules. Nursing employees are entitled to reasonable break time and private space to express milk under both Massachusetts and federal law. Workers who complete six consecutive days on the job are generally entitled to a day off under the state’s day of rest law.
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Employees who believe an employer is violating break law can file a complaint with the Attorney General’s Fair Labor Division. The office investigates wage and hour complaints and can pursue civil citations or, in serious cases, criminal charges against employers.
Employer obligations for meals and breaks in Massachusetts
Massachusetts break laws place specific legal obligations on employers under M.G.L. c. 149, and getting them wrong is an expensive mistake for a construction business.
Provide the 30-minute meal break. Any employee working more than six consecutive hours must receive a break free from duties, with the ability to leave the jobsite. If the employee works through the break, that time must be paid.
Never auto-deduct a meal break the employee didn’t actually take. This is the single most common trigger for AG wage complaints and class-action exposure in Massachusetts. Payroll systems that automatically subtract 30 minutes for every shift over six hours, without confirming the crew member was relieved of duty, create a documented wage violation. That violation appears the moment a supervisor pulls someone back onto a task mid-break. Picture a foreman who waves a laborer back to help move material five minutes into lunch. An auto-deduct system still shows a full unpaid break was taken. That gap is exactly what plaintiffs’ attorneys and the Fair Labor Division look for.
Maintain accurate records. Payroll records must be kept for at least three years, pay stubs must be issued every pay period, and personnel files must be accessible to employees on request.
Respect exemptions correctly. Employ ers in exempt industries under Section 101 must still confirm their operation genuinely qualifies before skipping the standard 30-minute rule. Misapplying an exemption exposes the business to the same penalties as ignoring the law outright.
Support nursing and pregnant employees. Employers with six or more employees must provide lactation accommodations, and pregnant employees are entitled to reasonable accommodations including more frequent breaks.
Paid time worked through a meal break also counts toward the 40-hour overtime threshold, and in rare cases toward double time if a separate policy or contract calls for it. Payroll teams should factor that in before finalizing a pay period.
How to ensure compliance with Massachusetts’s meal and break laws
Staying compliant with Massachusetts break laws starts with a written break policy that every foreman and supervisor actually follows on-site, not just a line item in an employee handbook.
Most of the compliance steps below come down to picking the right time and attendance software and using it consistently across every crew.
Document the break, not just the deduction. The safest practice is a system that requires an actual clock-out and clock-in for the meal break, rather than a blanket payroll deduction. If a crew member is pulled back to work mid-break, that time needs to show up as paid. A real time record is the only evidence that holds up if the Attorney General’s office ever asks for it.
Use digital break tracking instead of a paper sign-off sheet. A construction crew moving between job sites during a single shift makes paper timesheets almost impossible to audit for break compliance after the fact. Digital time tracking software that logs GPS-verified clock-outs for meal breaks gives an office manager a real record instead of a guess. It also removes the ambiguity that turns a routine complaint into a class action.
Train supervisors specifically on the auto-deduction risk. Most break law violations trace back to a foreman who didn’t realize pulling a worker back from lunch five minutes early creates a paid-time obligation. The payroll system won’t catch that on its own.
Audit payroll records quarterly. Spot-check a sample of shifts over six hours against actual break records to confirm the automatic deduction matches a break that was genuinely taken.
Break records work best alongside a broader attendance system. Our guide to tracking employee time off covers how to log absences and time off with the same accuracy.
Automate your team’s compliance with Workyard
Workyard’s analysis of 280 contractor discovery calls found that nearly 1 in 3 construction businesses identify labor compliance, including overtime rules, union pay codes, and state wage laws, as a primary operational risk. Workyard is workforce management software especially built for construction businesses.
Workyard’s GPS time tracking records the exact clock-out and clock-in for every meal break a crew member takes, on every jobsite, without relying on a supervisor’s memory or a paper form. When a break gets cut short because a foreman needs an extra set of hands, that time shows up in the record as worked. It never sits as an automatic deduction waiting to become a wage complaint.
Benefits to employees
Reliable break tracking protects the people actually doing the work. A crew member who gets pulled back from lunch to help unload a delivery has a record showing that time was worked, not silently absorbed into an unpaid deduction. Consistent 30-minute breaks on long shifts also reduce fatigue on jobsites where attention to safety details matters.
Benefits to employers
Accurate break records are the best defense against an AG complaint or a class-action wage claim. A contractor who can produce three years of clean payroll records, with breaks documented rather than assumed, resolves most Fair Labor Division inquiries before they escalate. Fewer wage disputes also mean fewer hours lost to legal review and back-pay calculations that eat into a project’s margin.
Break tracking is one piece of a larger operation. See how Workyard compares to other construction management software if you’re evaluating a broader workforce management platform.
Construction crew management starts with labor law compliance. Optimize trade business ops (ex. plumbing) using job tracking software tailored to construction operations manager needs, with QuickBooks and ADP Workforce Now integrations.
The bottom line on Massachusetts meal and break laws
Massachusetts break laws remain unchanged heading into 2026: a mandatory 30-minute meal break for any shift over six consecutive hours, no state-mandated rest breaks, and specific protections for minors, nursing employees, and pregnant workers.
Whether a search brought you here through Massachusetts lunch break law, MA lunch break law, mass labor laws breaks, Massachusetts work break laws, or MA break laws, the same statute governs the answer. The one gap most guides miss is the day of rest requirement under M.G.L. c. 149, §§ 48–50, which entitles most employees to a day off after six consecutive days worked.
The real risk for Massachusetts construction employers isn’t a change in the law. It’s an auto-deduction payroll habit that quietly turns a routine 30-minute meal break into an unpaid wage violation. The Attorney General’s office has already assessed $196.6 million in restitution and penalties statewide in a single fiscal year, with construction named as a high-enforcement industry.
Your guide to hassle-free labor law compliance starts here. Explore these related articles today:
- California Break Laws: Meal and Rest Break Rules (2026)
- Florida Break Laws: Meal and Rest Break Rules (2026)
- Illinois Break Laws: Meal and Rest Break Rules (2026)
- Massachusetts Labor Laws: Wages, Breaks and Overtime (2026)
- Kentucky Labor Laws: Wages, Breaks and Overtime (2026)
- Mississippi Labor Laws: Wages, Breaks and Overtime (2026)
- Maryland Labor Laws: Wages, Breaks and Overtime (2026)
- Nebraska Labor Laws: Wages, Breaks and Overtime (2026)
- Ohio Overtime Laws: Rates, Rules and Calculations (2026)
- Minnesota Labor Laws: Wages, Breaks and Overtime (2026)
- Pennsylvania Labor Laws: Wages, Breaks and Overtime (2026)
- Texas Labor Laws: Wages, Breaks and Overtime (2026)
- Utah Labor Laws: Wages, Breaks and Overtime (2026)
- Virginia Labor Laws: Wages, Breaks and Overtime (2026)
- Nevada Labor Laws: Wages, Breaks and Overtime (2026)
References
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Massachusetts Legislature. “General Laws Part I, Title XXI, Chapter 149, Section 100 — Meal Break Requirement.” https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter149/Section100
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Massachusetts Legislature. “General Laws Part I, Title XXI, Chapter 149, Section 101 — Nonapplicability of Meal Break Statute.” https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter149/Section101
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Massachusetts Legislature. “General Laws Part I, Title XXI, Chapter 149, Section 56 — Minors; Restrictions on Hours of Work.” https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter149/Section56
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Massachusetts Legislature. “General Laws Part I, Title XXI, Chapter 149, Section 102 — Labor During Mealtime Without Knowledge of Employer.” https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter149/Section102
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Massachusetts Legislature. “General Laws Part I, Title XXI, Chapter 149, Section 52C — Personnel Records.” https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter149/Section52C
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Massachusetts Legislature. “General Laws Part I, Title XXI, Chapter 149, Section 148 — Pay Stub Requirements.” https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter149/Section148
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Massachusetts Legislature. “General Laws Part I, Title XXI, Chapter 149, Section 150 — Right of Action for Unpaid Wages; Triple Damages.” https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter149/Section150
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Massachusetts Legislature. “General Laws Part I, Title XXI, Chapter 151, Section 15 — Payroll Recordkeeping.” https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter151/Section15
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Mass.gov. “Breaks and Time Off (Day of Rest, M.G.L. c. 149, §§ 48–50).” https://www.mass.gov/guides/breaks-and-time-off
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Mass.gov. “Enforcement Authority — Attorney General’s Fair Labor Division.” https://www.mass.gov/info-details/enforcement-authority
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Mass.gov. “AG Campbell Releases Annual Labor Day Report Spotlighting Actions to Protect Massachusetts Workers (FY2025).” https://www.mass.gov/news/ag-campbell-releases-annual-labor-day-report-spotlighting-actions-to-protect-massachusetts-workers
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Mass.gov. “Since Start of Term, AG Campbell Has Secured Over $4.5 Million in Back Wages and Penalties Within Construction Industry.” https://www.mass.gov/news/since-start-of-term-ag-campbell-has-secured-over-45-million-in-back-wages-and-penalties-within-construction-industry
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Mass.gov. “MCAD Guidance on the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.” https://www.mass.gov/info-details/mcad-guidance-on-the-pregnant-workers-fairness-act
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Mass.gov. “Massachusetts Law About Wages (Blue Laws / Sunday Premium Pay).” https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massachusetts-law-about-wages
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U.S. Department of Labor. “FLSA Protections to Pump at Work (PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act).” https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/pump-at-work
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U.S. Department of Labor / eCFR. “29 CFR 785.18 — Rest Periods.” https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/subtitle-B/chapter-V/subchapter-A/part-785/subpart-C/section-785.18
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U.S. Department of Labor / eCFR. “29 CFR 785.19 — Meal Periods.” https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/subtitle-B/chapter-V/subchapter-A/part-785/subpart-C/section-785.19
Yes, one break is required by law: a 30-minute meal break for any shift over six consecutive hours (M.G.L. c. 149, § 100). Massachusetts does not require any additional rest breaks beyond that single meal period, regardless of shift length.
Yes. Massachusetts requires a 30-minute meal break for any employee who works more than six consecutive hours in a calendar day (M.G.L. c. 149, § 100). The employee must be relieved of all duties and free to leave the jobsite during the break. If the employer requires the employee to work through the break or remain on-site, that time must be paid as regular hours worked.
No. Massachusetts does not require employers to provide 15-minute or 10-minute rest breaks for adult employees. The only mandatory break under Massachusetts law is the 30-minute meal period for shifts over six hours. Employers who voluntarily offer a shorter break must pay for it under federal rules if it’s 20 minutes or less.
It depends on whether the employee is fully relieved of duty. If the employee is free from all work responsibilities and can leave the jobsite, the 30-minute meal break can be unpaid. If the employer asks the employee to work through the break or stay on-site, the employer must pay for that time.
No, not safely. Automatically deducting 30 minutes from every shift over six hours, without confirming the employee was relieved of duty, is the most common trigger for Attorney General wage complaints and class-action lawsuits in Massachusetts. Employers should use an actual clock-out and clock-in for meal breaks rather than a blanket payroll deduction.
The employer must pay the employee for that time as regular hours worked. Massachusetts law only allows an unpaid meal break when the employee is completely free of duties and able to leave the workplace during the full 30 minutes.
Construction workers are entitled to the same 30-minute meal break as other employees for shifts over six hours, but Massachusetts does not require a separate rest break for any industry, including construction. Section 101’s list of exempt industries does not include construction.
Employers must maintain payroll records for at least three years, including hours worked each day and each week (M.G.L. c. 151, § 15). Employers must also issue detailed pay stubs every pay period and keep personnel records accessible to employees on request (M.G.L. c. 149, § 52C).
The Attorney General can issue civil citations ranging from $7,500 to $25,000 per violation under M.G.L. c. 149, § 27C. Employees who sue over unpaid wages tied to a missed or unpaid meal break can recover triple damages and attorney’s fees. Willful violations can also result in criminal penalties up to $50,000 per violation.
Yes. Under the state’s day of rest law (M.G.L. c. 149, §§ 48–50), most employers must give an employee one day off after six consecutive days of work. That day off must include an unbroken period between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., unless the employee agrees to a different schedule.
Minors working more than six hours receive the same 30-minute meal break as adult employees. Employers must also post a minor’s weekly work schedule, including break times, in a visible location, and minors are barred from certain hazardous jobsite tasks.
Employers with six or more employees must provide reasonable, private, non-bathroom space and break time for employees to express milk under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. Federal law under the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act extends similar protections to nearly all covered employees for up to one year after childbirth.
No. Federal law does not require any meal or rest breaks. Massachusetts requires a mandatory 30-minute meal break for shifts over six consecutive hours, which is a stricter standard than the federal floor under 29 CFR 785.18 and 785.19.
