07/31/07 Personal Comfort Breaks

Personal Comfort Breaks. I'm Greg Martin with today's Fruit Grower Report. Everyone deserves a break now and then. In fact, we are all entitled to a certain number of breaks by law during our work day but the Department of Labor and Industries has recently proposed that workers be allowed Personal Comfort Breaks. Washington State Farm Bureau's Dan Fazio explains. FAZIO: We were shocked when L&I gave us their first draft of their Meal and Rest Break regulation that it contained a new clause for unlimited, paid personal comfort break which were defined by the agency rather broadly as including but not limited to, breaks to use the restroom, breaks to take medication and breaks to pump breast milk. According to Fazio, Farm Bureau's objection to the proposal it's not about allowing people to take the time for these specific personal items&it's more of what is really defined as a personal comfort break. FAZIO: To me a personal comfort break is my coffee break so does that mean I have unlimited coffee breaks throughout the day? Or what about people that want to meditate and do yoga in the middle of the day because that's personal comfort? Or the ultimate personal comfort break to me would be a nap! Now you're talking. But while this kind of ruling is usually designed to help special needs cases, there are those employees that would use and abuse it. FAZIO: According to the L&I proposal, a person could get back from their lunch break and then announce to their employer that they were going to be gone for the next half hour, 45 minutes or hour if it took that long to do some personal comfort item. This is a draft regulation at present but we'll be keeping our eyes on it and the ramifications for employers. Now, about that nap& That's today's Fruit Grower Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.