I apologize if this is a redundant question, but I have searched other questions and could not find a good answer. I am an electrician in ohio, and travel daily to differnt homes to work. I have been employed for six years and my employer has never made it mandatory to take a lunch. There is a new vp who is making it policy that you have to take a one half hour lunch, and I think they are making us take it at a certain time. My question is do I have any recourse if I do not want to take a lunch since there is no law that says lunches are mandatory. All this does is make my day one half hour longer and one more half hour away from my family. Also if they can make me take lunch do they get to choose when or can I work from 7 to 330 and take my lunch from 3 to 330.
Once again I apologize if this is redundant. Thank you for your time.

Doesn't make any difference whether the law requires it or not. If the employer requires you take a lunch at a specific time, then you do so.

Doesn't make any difference whether the law requires it or not. If the employer requires you take a lunch at a specific time, then you do so.

So we can't force or demand that an employer give us a lunch break, but if they choose to force said lunch break on us, we have no choice but to do so?

Does anyone else see something wrong with this twisted irony?

Ironic or not, the law does not require it in your state. The employer has the right to. By the way, it is to the employer's advantage to have the employees take a meal period. If for no other reason that fatigue tends to set in after long hours and errors, maybe critical ones, could be made.