Boss insists employee work through his 'unpaid lunch break' — ends up owing the company $900
'Funny how wage theft is just a misunderstanding when they get caught...,' they said.
An individual (u/hossenpheffer11) working a retail job contacted the labor board when they realized the management had been auto-deducting 30 minutes from every shift, even when the employee didn't take a break at all. The story shared on Reddit on October 4, 2025, has received 16K upvotes so far.
Got written up for not working through lunch, but then discovered I wasn't being paid for it anyway
byu/Hossenpheffer11 inantiwork
The person was fairly new at the job. In fact, they had been working in the store for only 8 months and were aware that employees were entitled to a half-hour unpaid lunch break. However, when the employee followed rules, their supervisor called them out for supposedly abandoning their post during a busy period. "When I explained I'm legally entitled to a lunch break, he said, 'Everyone knows you're supposed to eat at the register when it's busy; just keep working and log your lunch break anyway,'" they wrote. The employee was shocked by the supervisor's unrealistic expectation. Later, only when they checked the timecards did the individual realize that the management had been auto-deducting 30 minutes from every shift. That is, even if they were taking lunch at their desk while working, those 30 minutes remained unpaid. "Going back 8 months, they've stolen roughly 60 hours of my time, almost $900. I've documented everything and contacted the labor board," they wrote. The manager understood the seriousness of the situation and, ever since, had been insisting that the employee drop the complaint. "[It is] Funny how wage theft is just a 'misunderstanding' when they get caught, but taking my legally mandated break is a written offense," the author concluded.
The individual knew their employee rights, which allowed them to report the company to the labor board. This speaks volumes about the importance of understanding the laws that protect workers; however, sadly, many people still aren’t aware of them. In fact, the San Diego State University Center for Community Research and Engagement and the Center on Policy Initiatives found that of 843 hourly employees assessed, 87% experienced wage theft. Moreover, nearly 50% regularly experienced wage theft, which indicates that workers either don't know their rights or lack the means to stand up for themselves.
Meanwhile, the employee received an overwhelming response in the comments, with people supporting them for standing their ground. For instance, u/girlgonevegan commented, "Your supervisor sounds too incompetent to be managing people. I would not withdraw the complaint." u/negative-parfait-804 said, "Absolutely do not back down, because if they've done it to you, they've done it to others. The investigation by the labor board will uncover the truth, and they will be in big fat trouble. Hold the line!" u/appropriatetwo9038 wrote, "Classic. They want you to work for free. Don't back down. Document everything and keep the complaint going. Make sure they pay what they owe you."
u/pineapplehd commented, "Amazing. He’s probably freaking out because he’s about to get fired, and it’s well deserved. Years ago I worked for a predatory lending company, and we made $10 an hour with automatic 40-hour workweeks and no clocking in and out. The only problem was that we were required to work late on Fridays and we were not compensated for it. After I rage-quit over their predatory behaviors (they gave a $2,500 loan to a disabled woman who clearly was going to use it to pay an email scammer), I reported them to the labor board. However, the owner and the remaining employees lied and claimed we weren’t required to work late on Fridays. So it never went anywhere. If I had it to do over again, I would have hired a lawyer."
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