Bathroom Breaks at Work: The Right To "Void"
What a subject line, I know...
But I just finished reading Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich. Better late than never. My daughter gave me her copy of the book - and keeping in mind that it was published in 2001 - I was struck by how much conditions have either stagnated or (in many cases) worsened since then.
I ran a DU search and located an older by post by geniph: it's a review on this book. You can read it here. (Excellent review, btw.)
One thing that really stuck out to me was Ehrenreich's mention of "voiding" at work - and how it was not illegal for employers to deny bathroom breaks until recently. I found this staggering. Though I have never encountered this problem in the workplace myself, it enrages me that this is/was even an issue.
From the University of Iowa:
Doesn't someone have the right to use the rest room when he or she needs to?
Until recently, the answer in most states was: No. But that is changing, thanks in part to the research and dogged advocacy of a College of Law professor.
<snip>
The book, Void Where Prohibited: Rest Breaks and the Right to Urinate on Company Time, exposes the indignities and health risks faced by many American workers who are denied rest room access. Linder's historical research of OSHA's sanitation regulations apparently convinced the agency that while bathroom breaks may not be spelled out in the rules, a legal interpretation in fact gives OSHA the authority to cite companies for not allowing them.
Linder argues that because the regulation requires employers to "provide" a rest room, it inherently implies that workers should be able to use it. "It is a matter of legal interpretation," says Linder, who maintains that OSHA hasn't been vigorous in its protection of workers.
Linder's work is starting to pay off for Iowa workers. The Iowa OSHA office announced last fall that it would begin citing companies that did not allow their employees to take rest room breaks when needed. That change in interpreting the OSHA statute followed the Missouri incident, an opinion piece sparked by the book in the Des Moines Register, and frequent phone calls by Linder to state officials.
http://www.uiowa.edu/~fyi/issues/issues97-98/013098web/professor_013098.html
Note: I cannot find the date when the above article was published.
= new reply since forum marked as read
