How to File a Complaint Against an Employer for Not Giving Employees Breaks or Lunch in Tennessee
Federal labor laws make no provisions to guarantee workers a lunch break or a similar rest period during their shift. However, Tennessee's Wage Regulation Act requires that employees who work a shift longer than six hours must receive an uncompensated 30-minute break sometime during that shift, but it may not be granted in the first hour of the shift. Because state, not federal, law grants the requirement, workers must file grievances with the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development rather than the U.S. Department of Labor's local branch.
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Instructions
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Examine your work schedule to ensure your complaint is valid. Employers only have to provide a single 30-minute break in the midst of a six-hour shift. If you work fewer hours, you don't legally qualify for breaks. Similarly, your employer isn't required to grant shorter 15-minute rest or coffee breaks in addition to the 30-minute lunch break.
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Document the violation. As precisely as possible, log the start time and end time, the date and, if your employer has multiple branches, the location in which the violation occurred. If you were granted a break shorter than 30 minutes, document the start and end time of that break. Document each violating shift separately.
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Contact the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development's Labor Standards division at 615-741-2858, or by emailing Christina Tugman at Christina.tugman@tn.gov.
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