HCA-HealthONE v. Colo. Dept. of Labor and Employment

**Hospital Workers Win Partial Victory in Meal Break Pay Case** This case involved hospital workers at North Suburban Medical Center who claimed they should be paid for their meal breaks. The workers argued that even though they were scheduled for unpaid meal periods, they were frequently interrupted or required to remain available for patient care during these breaks. The Colorado Court of Appeals reached a split decision. The court agreed with workers that meal breaks must be paid if they are either interrupted or if employees must stay "on duty" during the break. However, the court sent the case back to the Department of Labor to examine each specific meal period individually to determine which ones qualified for payment. The court clarified that for a meal break to be unpaid, it must be both completely uninterrupted AND the worker must be completely free from all job duties. **What this means for workers:** If your employer expects you to be available during meal breaks or if you're regularly interrupted while eating, you may be entitled to pay for that time. This is especially important for healthcare workers and others in jobs where emergencies can interrupt breaks. Workers should document when their meal breaks are interrupted or when they must remain on duty.