Young workers could lose their lunch breaks under proposed law

Mandatory meal breaks for child workers could soon be a thing of the past under a bill that gained initial approval Thursday. (Edwin Tan/Getty Images)

Mandatory meal breaks for minor workers in Louisiana could become a thing of the past under a bill that gained initial approval Thursday. 

House Bill 156, by Rep. Roger Wilder, R-Denham Springs, would repeal a law that requires employers to provide a 30-minute meal break for minors who work at least five hours. The House Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations signed off on the proposal with a 10-3 vote.  Rep. Tehmi Chassion, D-Lafayette, joined Republicans in supporting the bill. 

Wilder, a Smoothie King franchisee with multiple stores in Louisiana and Mississippi, said the current meal break requirement was a disincentive to hire minors as it creates an administrative burden. 

The bill is part of a nationwide trend of Republicans rolling back labor protections for minors. Lawmakers in at least 11 states have moved to repeal or loosen laws to bring more teens into the workforce. 

A slew of unions and other pro-labor groups opposed Wilder’s bill but none testified against it. 

Wilder decried the backlash against his bill, arguing that older teens have the maturity to decide for themselves whether they want to take a break at work. 

“The wording is ‘We’re here to harm children.’ Give me a break. These are young adults.” Wilder said during the hearing.

Wilder said his businesses will continue to offer meal breaks to minors, as he believes they would quit otherwise. He argued that the free market will ensure workers are treated fairly. His bill is necessary, he said, to eliminate paperwork the current law requires. 

The bill will next be discussed by the House of Representatives.

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