Breaks and meal periods - Maine

Breaks

Federal law does not require that employers provide rest periods or coffee/snack breaks.  However, when employers do offer short breaks, usually lasting between five to 20 minutes, the breaks must be considered work time and employees are paid for the time.

Maine does not require coffee, bathroom, or smoking breaks but does require a 30 minute break unless the nature of the work allows for frequent breaks. This rest time may be used by employees as a meal time.

Nursing mothers in the workplace

All employers must provide adequate unpaid break time or permit an employee to use paid break time or meal time each day to express breast milk for her nursing child for up to three years following childbirth. The employer shall make reasonable efforts to provide a clean room or other location, other than a bathroom, where an employee may express breast milk in privacy. An employer may not discriminate in any way against an employee who chooses to express breast milk in the workplace.

Meal periods

Federal law does not require that employers provide meal periods.  Bona fide meal periods, which typically last between 30 and 60 minutes, serve a different purpose than a break.  During meal periods, the employee must be completely relieved from duty.  Bona fide meal periods are not considered work time and are not compensable.  If an employee is not totally relieved of job duties during the time he or she is eating a meal, then the employee must be paid for that time.Maine combines breaks and rest time provisions.  An employee may not work more than six consecutive hours without at least 30 consecutive minutes of rest time.