I work at a customer service call center and recently we've been going thru a lot of changes. We have this new thing that we have go on breaks as schedule, which is completely reasonable, but if we don't it counts against our monthly average point and it the long run it affects our quarterly bonus. We don't feel that this should be allowed. I mean we can't go to the bathroom unless we have a break schedule or it'll count against us if we go on an unsheduled break. We have talked to our managers about it and addressed our fustration, but they're saying this is how is going to be from no on. We get about 3-4 emails daily reguarding this issue to make sure that we adhere and a daily report telling us if we did or not. What can we do about this? Anyone help us?

Breaks are regulated by state law. What state are you in?

OK I'm in California, is there any phone number that you can suggest I call?

You can read about California's break law at: http://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/FAQ_RestPeriods.htm

Your employer can force you to take a break. If you don't, you will be violation of a policy. They cannot deduct from your wages without your approval as punishment for not following the rules. You can read about that in the California Department of Labor Standards Enforcement Manual found at: http://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/DLSEManual/dlse_enfcmanual.pdf

The answer to your question is on page 46.