If they let you take lunch at the end of the day to leave sooner that creates a loophole to say they gave you your lunch break without actually doing so

Reminder: the traditional "9 to 5" workday that is considered "full time" includes lunch. If you're not getting paid for it or are working 8 to 5 or whatever, you're getting swindled.

You might say it's "normal" now, but it only becomes normalized because workers fail to hold the line.

I've always noted with a certain cynicism that the old nomenclature for the workday '9-5' adds up to eight hours. Surely these people weren't missing lunch...

In a way it is paid/unpaid either way.

At the end of the day, the time you spend "for" work includes your transit to and from work as well as the breaks that you take without being able to really do your thing.

You have to calculate that time against your pay. This is also why working from home shouldn't be something companies have any doubt about. Taking away the commute time maintains the time you can be productive for the company, while notably shorting your total time spent "for" work.

That's why we use the bathroom before or after lunch.

so then it's not my time because I can't take it when I want. since that's the case, why isn't it paid?

Yeah, that's one thing that sucks about union jobs. On the other hand, I'm no longer at a union job and can break/lunch whenever I want, but my boss can make unrealistic expectations and I have no way to argue if I can't get another manager in the line to back me up. My current workplace is very quickly turning into a shittty place to work since there isn't a union to push back.

Or live in a state that doesn’t screw you over.
1 hr lunch, two 15 minute breaks for 8 hour shift. Or half hour lunch minimum required after 6 hours work.

This is with or without union.

Being on the clock for lunch is a terrible idea. I like my own time thanks.

There's also unpaid lunch in Denmark. This would though mean that you cannot be interrupted in your half-hour lunch break for work. If you get paid lunch time your employer can though legally call you in for work again if they need you, e.g. calling in the doctor for an emergency operation.

Would anyone have a reference on this? (I failed to find one. Internet searches now suck.)

My full time job is considered part-time because of this. Plus I just found out we don’t receive jury duty compensation because we’re seasonal workers that’ll just get fired at the end of the season anyways.

Check your local laws. In many states, there is no requirement that you take a lunch. There is no federal requirement for that either.

I’ve had employers tell me that that I legally had to clock out for a certain amount of time, but that’s bullshit. It might be company policy but it’s not a law.

Also, this applies to teens working too. The laws are bad. Found this out when Subway was making my 16 yr old niece work 9-12 hour shifts with no lunch break.

Source: https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/workhours/breaks

Here's a source I found for the UK at least:

Average weekly hours fell faster between 1946 and 1979 than post-1980

Together we can change the rules to protect the planet, share the wealth and give everyone a say in how the economy is run.

New Economics Foundation (neweconomics.org)

There’s no federal law in the US that requires them to give you a lunch break. My state doesn’t have one either.

In California, you can only waive it if you work less than 6 hours. Otherwise, you need to take a lunch before the 5th hour hits. For overtime, you get a second (you can waive, they cant) meal period after your 10th hour.

If I recal, there are federal laws in the US that require breaks, just not specifically for lunch?

Where I live it counts as work time (and you get paid for it) if you can't leave the workplace during it. I can leave so it doesn't count as paid work time, but it's still at a set time for convenience.

And ofc because law demands break every so often

I’m a salaried software developer. My first job was 8-5 with a lunch break that we had to take. I asked if I could take it at the start or the end of the day and was told, “No.” So my coworkers and I started playing board games 3-4 times a week during our lunch break in one of the offices. Mainly legacy games like Gloomhaven and Pandemic Legacy. The VP loved showing off the board game room to the interviewees to show that we like to have fun there.

I do miss that job sometimes because it was just raw programming. I was programming or writing SQL queries for over 30 hours a week. No AppSec, no lengthy review process, no bullshit (except the pay, which was ok for Mississippi).

I have a hard time seeing that happening at my workplace, but I see how it can be significant for jobs like medical staff, security, etc.

Good for you then! I work in IT with time critical trading systems, so lunch is sometimes interrupted so we can fix the issues. Bit annoying, but that's part of the deal.