Rest Periods

Rest Periods must be provided in ten-minute increments for each four hours worked or “major fraction thereof.” Rest Periods must also be provided such that the employee is free from the direction and control of the employer, with limited exceptions. Time for using the restroom does not count as a rest period. Labor Code section 1030 requires all employers to provide adequate break time to allow breast-feeding mothers to express milk, which may be concurrent with an employee's break. Like meal periods, an employee is entitled to an hour of “premium pay” for each missed rest Period.