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Summary of differences between federal and state regulations
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.
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.
Vermont employees shall be provided adequate opportunities for meals and restroom breaks.
Express breastmilk
For an employee who is a nursing mother, the employer shall for three years after the birth of a child:
- Provide reasonable time, compensated or uncompensated (at the sole discretion of the employer), throughout the day to express breastmilk for her nursing child.
- Make a reasonable accommodation to provide appropriate private space that is not a bathroom stall.
If providing these breaks would substantially disrupt the employer’s operations, they need not be provided.
State
Contact
Vermont Department of Labor and Industry
Regulations
Title 21: Labor, Chapter 5: Employment Practices, 21 V.S.A.§304. Employment conditions
Vermont Statute Title 21: Labor, Chapter 5: Employment Practices, 21 V.S.A. §305. Nursing Mothers in the Workplace
Federal
Contact
The US Department of Labor is the federal agency that monitors hours worked.
Regulations
U.S. labor regulations for hours worked can be found in CFR 29: Part 785 Rest Periods and Meal Periods.