Arizona is one of the few states in the United States that does not have any laws regarding breaks at work. However, this does not mean that meal and rest breaks are not important for creating a healthy work environment. Employers who choose to provide break entitlements to their employees must comply with the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
When employers include meal and rest breaks in their company policy, they must communicate their policy to employees and ensure compliance to prevent any legal disputes.
This article covers the key provisions of meal and rest breaks in Arizona and provides other related considerations regarding break entitlements.
This article covers:
- Rest Breaks in Arizona
- Meal Breaks in Arizona
- Breastfeeding Breaks in Arizona
- Break Obligations for Minor Employees in Arizona
Rest Breaks in Arizona
In Arizona, there are no mandatory rest breaks for employees. However, employers may provide breaks as part of their company policy. If such an entitlement is provided, employers must consider rest breaks of less than 20 minutes as hours worked and must be paid.
Meal Breaks in Arizona
State law and federal law do not require employers to provide meal breaks in Arizona. Just like rest breaks, Arizona employers may offer breaks intended for meal periods. If an employer chooses to provide meal breaks, the break must be at least 30 minutes long and must be unpaid.
Breastfeeding Breaks in Arizona
Arizona is one of the states in the US that does not require employers to provide breastfeeding breaks. Despite the fact that there is no state legislation supporting nursing mothers breastfeeding in the workplace, the federal PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act is in place to safeguard and protect these types of employees.
Under this federal mandate, the FLSA requires employers to provide reasonable time and a private room to nursing mothers. An employee can take a reasonable amount of time to express their breast milk; the frequency of these break times is dependent on the mother’s needs. As for the length of breastfeeding breaks, the Department of Labor recommends employers provide 10 to 20 minutes. However, some factors may determine the length needed for a nursing employee to express milk:
- The travel time to walk to and from the provided lactation room and the wait to express breast milk.
- The time it takes to set up the pump and other supplies for expressing breastmilk.
- The efficiency of the pump used to express milk; different pumps may require more or less time.
- The time it takes to store her milk in a cooler or refrigerator.
Furthermore, employers are not required to compensate the employee for breastfeeding breaks.
Break Obligations for Minor Employees in Arizona
While other states in the US have laws that specify break times for minor employees, Arizona does not have such laws. However, employers in Arizona have the discretion to provide rest breaks or lunch periods to minor and adult employees, and decide the length and intervals of these breaks.
Learn more about Arizona Labor Laws through our detailed guide.
Important Cautionary Note
This content is provided for informational purposes only. While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information presented, we cannot guarantee that it is free of errors or omissions. Users are advised to independently verify any critical information and should not solely rely on the content provided.
