PRINTER'S NO. 983
No. 860 Session of 2005
INTRODUCED BY SURRA, BELARDI, GERGELY, TANGRETTI, BIANCUCCI,
CALTAGIRONE, COSTA, CURRY, DALEY, FABRIZIO, FREEMAN, GEORGE,
GOOD, GOODMAN, GRUCELA, JAMES, LEACH, LESCOVITZ, PALLONE,
SAMUELSON, SCAVELLO, SHANER, STABACK, STURLA, THOMAS, TIGUE,
YOUNGBLOOD AND YUDICHAK, MARCH 14, 2005
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON LABOR RELATIONS, MARCH 14, 2005
AN ACT
1 Providing a meal or rest period for employees after working a
2 specified number of hours.
3 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
4 hereby enacts as follows:
5 Section 1. Short title.
6 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Rest Period
7 for Workers Act.
8 Section 2. Five-hour work periods, 30-minute meal or 30-minute
9 rest periods between work periods.
10 (a) General rule.--No individual shall be employed or
11 permitted to work for more than five hours continuously in or in
12 connection with any establishment without a meal or rest period
13 of at least 30 minutes, which period shall not be considered a
14 part of the hours of labor, and no period of less than 30
15 minutes shall be deemed to interrupt a continuous period of
16 work.
1 (b) Location of meal and rest periods.--No employee shall be
2 required to remain in a workroom or at the employee's work
3 station during the meal or rest periods required by this
4 section, provided, however, that where the strict application of
5 the 30-minute meal or 30-minute rest periods impose an
6 unnecessary hardship on an employer and the employee or a
7 limitation on the job opportunities of an employee, the
8 Secretary of Labor and Industry may grant upon written
9 application of the employer an exception from compliance with
10 this section.
11 Section 3. Applicability.
12 This act shall not apply to employers who are police and fire
13 departments, public ambulance or providers of emergency medical
14 services.
15 Section 4. Effective date.
16 This act shall take effect immediately.
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