To: President Donald Trump
Federal Employees Lunch Break Choice
Federal employees do not get paid for the half hour, usually within a time range of middle of the work day, in which they are required to take a "lunch break" without pay. The purpose of this petition is to stop this out-dated requirement. Employees who pay for childcare are not given a half hour of free child care and parking meters do not give us a free half hour for lunch. Many employees do not eat three meals per day as was normal several decades ago, and a non-paid break in the middle of a workday to extend hours for the convenience of management should at least be a choice of the employee. Federal employees have not been given the traditional cost of living pay adjustment for several years, have taken on more work when co-workers retire and resign, due to the hiring freeze and deserve to have a choice to work only the hours being paid for.
Why is this important?
Federal employees do not get paid for lunch break and should be allowed to choose whether or not to take a lunch. In our society today, adults who choose to eat less than the traditional three meals per day and where "time is money" (especially for childcare); federal workers should be allowed to work only the hours they are paid for. Federal workers have gone years without cost-of-living pay adjustments and due to the hiring freeze are having to take on more and more work when coworkers retire or resign, and deserve to choose whether or not they want to remain at work an extra half hour every work day without pay.