Boss fires new employee for pointing out labor law violations, not offering 30-minute lunch: 'In less than 40 min, I was completely removed from the schedule'

Author image for JR Atkinson
JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Jun 9, 2025 1:00 PM EDT

In this world, you have to advocate for yourself. It's hard to rely on others to do this for you. If you're not covering your own back, odds are nobody else is doing it for you. This is especially true in the workplace. Every workplace runs a little bit differently, and you'll find out in the first couple of days/weeks just what quirks you're dealing with. Is it the kind of place where everyone goes out for a drink after their shift? Or is it the kind of place where people are reluctant to even share phone numbers? Do you have the kind of boss that understands when you're running 5 minutes late? 

Or do you have the kind of boss who reprimands you for glancing at your phone during your shift? And, most importantly, is it the kind of place that does things by the book, or is it the kind of place that expects you to look the other way when it comes to labor law violations?

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    AED AED 自動體外 心機電擊器 AEC PLUS AECLUS & 無障礙廁所 無障礙
    via De an Sun

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • These questions are important ones to ask and will determine whether or not you can stay at your new job, like in this story, where a new employee's questions revealed some deep flaws in their business. Read on to see what was going on and decide what you think about it. 

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    LOL I got fired from a new job after one day of work because I asked about a meal break law violation

    I was told during the interview with the company that since it's a business with multiple small locations and that we could be alone or with only a couple other employees running the store, and therefore we'd be required to stay on the premises and interrupt our lunch to help customers, we'd be given a 30min paid lunch. So my
    via u/Nafatiri
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    understanding of the Washington paid lunch laws is that it's 30min of time given to sit down whether we decide to eat or not (and that interrupted time counts as worked - not against our meal break; if this understanding is wrong, PLEASE feel free to let me know!). Washington law also
    via u/Nafatiri
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    states that "employees must be allowed a meal period when they work more than five hours in a shift. A meal period must be at least 30 minutes long and start between the second and fifth hour of the shift." 4 hours and 15min into my 6 hour shift yesterday, when I asked my
    via u/Nafatiri
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    trainer how lunches were handled since it was getting close to my 5th hour, I was told that we don't get lunches and that if I wanted a 30min break to sit down, it would have to be deducted out of my paycheck. I subsequently did not get to have a 30min lunch that day.
    via u/Nafatiri
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    Today, I texted my interviewer to ask for clarification on the matter. She called me (which s ks, because I had hoped to get it in writing) to tell me that she expects us to only sit down long enough to eat which she said was about 5-15min and that "eating for 30min is too much" and that
    via u/Nafatiri
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    we were expected to continue working the rest of the time. She also seemed so offended about the idea of someone sitting for 15-30min of their lunch break either relaxing or playing on their phone. Then she started making a fuss about how I'm "making a big deal out of it" and that if I'm going to be "bookish about 5-
    via u/Nafatiri
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    15min, then maybe you need to take some time to consider if you want to stay with this company". I told her I don't mind staying. Then I asked her if she'd just be able to text it to me so that I can have it for reference later on. She replied, "okay, I don't think you're a good fit for this company" and hung up on me. In less than
    via u/Nafatiri
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    40min, I was completely removed from the schedule and could no longer see anyone else's. What's worse is I forgot to even prep some food to bring with me for lunch, so I couldn't eat even if I wanted to, so I was effectively expected to just work my lunch break, even though I gave zero consent to waive my meal break.
    via u/Nafatiri
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    I know that they've not only violated my right to a meal break, but now they've added retaliation to the list by terminating me for bringing up a potential violation of my rights. AND, on a side note and potential other issue; when talking about paid hours with my trainer, such as when the clock
    via u/Nafatiri
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    starts and ends for a shift, I was told it was just for the times on the schedule. My schedule was 3:00pm to 9:00pm yesterday. And while I do consider that I didn't start working until 3:00pm (I arrived at 2:55pm, and they didn't have me start working for a few minutes even though they brought me behind the counter), I definitely didn't get done working
    via u/Nafatiri
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    until 9:20pm due to the store closing at 9pm, then having to count the money in the till, log things into the log book, turn off the lights, lock the doors, and call one of the administrators to get the code to secure the lock and make sure the store was fully closed. So I wonder if they're going to try to not pay me for that extra 20min (whether through the 7min rounding rule or for each minute worked).
    via u/Nafatiri
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    After getting removed from the schedule, I immediately started working on a complaint to the Washington Department of Labor and Industries for at least the meal law violation and the wrongful termination. I plan to contact the employer tomorrow to request a copy of their records
    via u/Nafatiri
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    of my time worked, rate of pay, total pay for the day I worked, and a written statement stating the reasons for and effective date of discharge, so that I not just have that, but also see if they weren't going to pay me for the 20 extra minutes that I worked, since legally they can't shave off the full 20min; at minimum, due to the 7 minute rounding rule,
    via u/Nafatiri
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    they have to pay me at least 15min of that. Then if I find that they do try to pull that, I'd file to get wage theft added to the investigation (I don't care that it's only a $4-5 difference for me it's how many years they'd have done it to others).
    via u/Nafatiri
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    And I was told that the employee who told me that we don't get meal breaks has been with the company for over 10 years... So, to think of just how long they've been doing this for... Screw companies who take advantage of employees like that and grow off of illegal business practices. I hope they get to experience the full force of the law.
    via u/Nafatiri
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    Cheezburger Image 10515575296
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

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    Other workers chimed in with their perspectives.

    tconners 1d ago . Sounds like they know what they are doing is illegal and they're bu ying people into going along with it. I'd report it to the DOL they love auditing companies for wage theft.
    via u/tconners
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    ninasmolders · 1d ago . Labour violations and wage theft... but sure you were being difficult about nothing right... Go f m up!
    via u/ninasmolders
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    AikoG84 1d ago . If they call and don't put their illegal sh in writing, then you text/email them after the conversation summarizing what was discussed. Always CYA. They'll clarify if they are good employers. If they're
    via u/AikoG84
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    bad employers, they'll confirm or they won't reply, which is tacit confirmation since they didn't negate what you wrote. That is something a lawyer can use if it goes thay far.
    via u/AikoG84
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    susiefreckleface · 1d ago Holey smokies. They are real jackholes. It's one thing if the employees voluntarily waive their lawfully set 30 min meal break versus the employer not providing that option and ordering them to just take a 15.
    via u/susiefreckleface
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    I literally have the labor code pasted in the body of my calendar appointment titled lunch break. Color coded bright yellow so everyone that clicks on that gold nugget on my calendar they are reading the meal break labor code.
    via u/susiefreckleface
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    YoshiSan90 · 22h ago • The wage theft claim won't just pay you. It'll pay out everyone hourly at the company. They will go through the books. Hopefully they nail them hard.
    via u/YoshiSan90
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    She... 1d ago Edited 1d ago • • Glad u found out they were playing games the first day, now you can work somewhere else and not waste time there They should have just told u that in the job post lol...would have saved them the cost to on board you and do all your setup haha
    via u/Shellnanigans
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    . ThisIsMockingjay2... 1d ago From what I saw while living in Washington for 18 months, they don't play about lunch breaks. Good luck to you!
    via u/ThisIsMockingjay2020

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boss antiwork workplace-stories toxic-workplace job bosses work coworkers working reddit story toxic-boss workplace reddit thread bad bosses Reddit toxic-work-environment
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