Lunch breaks have been around for nearly a century, but are workers in Missouri and Illinois legally required to have them?
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ST. LOUIS — Lunch breaks have been part of American workers' lives for nearly a century. It's just a time to eat for some, while others use it to get some much-needed time to themselves.
But, not everyone is entitled to one.
Modern labor laws were developed during the Great Depression to protect workers from long hours and minuscule wages, but laws specifically mandating work breaks were largely left to the states.
The VERIFY team dug into the facts to find out where Missouri and Illinois stood when it came to work breaks.
Are workers in Missouri or Illinois legally entitled to a lunch break?
Illinois workers are legally entitled to a paid lunch break, but not in Missouri.
Employees in Illinois who work at least 7 hours and 30 minutes are required to get a 20-minute paid meal break under state law. The break also must be taken no later than 5 hours after a shift starts. If an Illinois' employee workers 12 hours or more, they get an additional paid 20-minute meal break.
Federal law, however, does not require employers to pay for lunch breaks if they last 30 minutes or more.
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