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Employers nationwide may have to grant workers additional breaks to Muslim employees for prayer, after a recent court ruling.

The EEOC recently announced that Judge Jeanne J.Graham of the U.S. District Court in St. Paul, Minnesota ordered final approval of two consent decrees in religious discrimination suits.

One suit involved a Minnesota chicken processor, Gold’n Plump Poultry, Inc. According to the company website, Gold’n Plump was founded in 1926 by E.M. Helgeson. “Today, the company is run by his grandson and a family that includes about 1,500 people and more than 250 family farmers in Minnesota and Wisconsin—all who share the founder’s passion for quality.”

The other suit involved an employment agency that supplied workers for Gold’n Plump, The Work Connection.

Under the decree approved in the Gold’n Plump case, the employer will have to provide an additional paid break during the second half of each shift to accommodate the religious beliefs of Muslim employees who wish to pray during the workday. The exact timing of the break will vary during the year to coordinate with the timing for Muslim prayers. The new break time will apply to all employees (more…)

Under new regulations issued by the Oregon BOLI or Bureau of Labor and Industries, food servers can opt to waive their unpaid meal breaks, but not their paid rest breaks.

Tipped Oregon food service workers over the age of 18 may opt out of their required 30-minute meal breaks if they like. The employee must complete a waiver form, available in English or Spanish from the BOLI website.

Employers cannot require an employee to waive breaks, or coerce employees to do so under the new regulations. Either the employer or the employee can revoke the waiver at any time by written notice.

However, if the employer has a signed, non-revoked waiver on file, the employee (more…)

The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries or BOLI recently issued a new rule clarifying regulations on meal breaks in situations where it is impossible for an employee to be relieved of all duties.

Under the Oregon meal break law, employers must provide a meal break of 30 minutes or more to any employee who works more than 6 hours. Employees who work less than 6 hours are not entitled to a meal break.

Generally, the Oregon meal break must be at least 30 minutes long, and the employee must be relieved of all duties during that period. The meal break may be unpaid.

As in several other states, Oregon permits exceptions to meal breaks (more…)