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ThrillDr1 t1_irxr4xd wrote

Reply to comment by mrlolloran in Getting Paid Lunches in MA by stuartroelke

That I agree with. If you are not allowed to leave the job, then they should pay you for your time. If you can leave, then it is your time, and your company should not be paying you for it.

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stuartroelke OP t1_irxwgi1 wrote

You are eating in order to be a more effective employee. It’s a basic human right—and it’s not the same as working—but, it’s not free time.

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ThrillDr1 t1_iry142f wrote

So long as you are capable of leaving, then it 100% is free time, you can do what you want during that time - watch videos, smoke in your car. You are not being forced to eat during your lunch break. So no human rights are being violated.

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stuartroelke OP t1_iry1jlj wrote

It’s not the same as free time. You are bound to the location you work out, and can only travel—using your own gas or physical energy—as far as your break allows. That’s the bottom line. I believe it’s not the same, and therefore should be compensated.

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ThrillDr1 t1_iry4lyn wrote

You use your own gas or physical energy to get to and from work. Should they pay you for that too?

You are free to do as you want during your free time. Your employer can not tell you what to do or how to do it during that time period they can however confine you by time. IF they pay you, THEN they can. You will be mandated to stay in a certain location and to eat.

Do you want the freedom to leave during that time frame, or do you want to be mandated to stay and eat as they desire? Because you can't have both.

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stuartroelke OP t1_iryr27m wrote

“You can’t have both” is not a law. Also, people need to stop comparing a commute to paid lunches. Those are entirely different situations, and I’m clearly discussing paid lunches at this time.

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ThrillDr1 t1_iryvyxs wrote

The law is unpaid lunch unless you are required to stay.

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