CA Exempt Employee no lunch breaks?

[ctiwater]

So I'm here in California and I have a question. I am an exempt IT person, and my boss continually schedules meetings through what would be considered a normal lunch hour and expects us to work. For instance this week she scheduled a 10am-1pm meeting knowing I have a 1pm-3pm meeting. When I asked if there was going to be a lunch during the 10am meeting I was told there would be no lunch that I would need to bring my own (essentially a working lunch). I realize as an exempt employee we give up several rights, but does that mean that we can literally be forced to bring food from our house to eat? The situation is really bad, as we also are now on call for 2 weeks with no pay as well. So essentially we are on the fence full time during that. Is this all above board? Thanks for you help, I just don't know how much longer I can do this.

[pattytx]

If you want to eat, you do. At least you got a warning ahead of time.

[cbg]

If the biggest problem you have is that you are "forced to bring food from your house to eat" (and I am at a loss to see why that is in any way an issue), consider yourself lucky.

[Heinz 57]

Your employer is certainly not required to provide you with food, however the issue of an exempt employee not being provided a meal period is an issue which gets a bit complicated and hopefully at some point will be clarified. The labor code does not exclude any class of employee in the statutory meal period requirements. So it would appear that exempt employees are also required to be provided a meal period. Nonetheless, the wage orders exclude exempt employees from the additional one hour premium pay requirement for missed meal periods, thereby making it very difficult for an exempt employee to enforce their right to a meal period.

[HomeGuru]

Originally Posted by cbg

If the biggest problem you have is that you are "forced to bring food from your house to eat" (and I am at a loss to see why that is in any way an issue), consider yourself lucky.

**A: yeah and it appears that it is a employee perk, the working diet.