Meal & Break Guidelines

Following is outlined the guidelines for meal and break periods for ALL hourly employees.   Also linked is a document from the Bureau of Labor and Industries.  They have a Q & A section that is helpful.

• Employees are required to take two paid 10 minute breaks and one unpaid 30 minute meal break during a shift that is 6 hours or longer. If they are working less than 6 hours they are required to have two 10 minute breaks.
• During the breaks employees must be relieved of all duties (ie. if they briefly come back onto the sales floor they must start the break time again from the beginning)
• If the work shift is at least 6 hours but less than 7, the meal break should be taken between the 2nd and 5th work hour. If the shift is more than 7 hours the meal break should be taken between the 3rd and sixth hour worked.
• One 10 minute breaks should be taken for every segment of four hours. For example if Sally has a shift 10am to 6pm, her first 10 minute should be around 12pm, 30 minute meal break around 2pm and the final 10 minute break around 4:30pm. 
• Employees are legally required to take these breaks, they cannot leave early instead or work through them or combine them for a longer break. 

https://www.oregon.gov/boli/ta/pages/t_faq_meal_and_rest_period_rules.aspx