Louisiana (LA) Wage and Hour Laws

Those who work in Louisiana need to be aware of current Louisiana (LA) wage and hour laws. Wage and hour laws provided by the state of Louisiana help employees know what to expect from their employers. For instance, an employee may need to know that Louisiana (LA) wage and hour laws make a provision regarding minimum wage. The minimum wage of Louisiana is set at the federal rate of $5.15 per hour.

Louisiana (LA) wage and hour laws regarding meal breaks and rest periods are modeled after the standard set by the federal government. Therefore, Louisiana employers are not required to give their adult employees lunch breaks, but they are permitted to if they want to. Additionally, workers under 18 are entitled to receive one 30 minute meal break if they work five or more hours in a day, and this break does not have to be paid for by the employer.

In most cases employers will give breaks if employees work over eight hours a day even if not required to do so. If an employer gives short rest breaks of 5 and 20 minutes long these breaks are required to be paid. In additions, an employee on a rest break is permitted by an employer to be called back to work at any time during that break.
The standard for overtime in Louisiana is the same as the one set by the federal government. In other words, both the federal government and the state of Louisiana require that overtime be paid for hours worked over 40 in a regular work week. Overtime work is usually paid at 1 ½ times an employee’s regular hourly rate.

If both employers and employees are provided with the most current information regarding Louisiana (LA) wage and hour laws they will know their rights and responsibilities. This will help minimize any conflict between employee and employer, and will also help improve working conditions.