I have 2 questions:

Question 1:
I got hired at a place by a manager who knew my scheduling needs due to the facts that I am a single mother and I am taking college courses. When hired it was agreed upon that I would work 11-5 Mon thru Fri and no nights or weekends. My manager was also aware of snow days and school vacation days and was very, very flexible in that respect. Well that manager was fired 2 days ago and the new one that has taken over has come in like gestapo. He's acting like we're all a bunch of delinquents who need a babysitter. He's nit picking at everything and making us do ridiculous things just to keep us busy.
Right away we were all asked to write out new availablity forms. I explained to the new manager all over again the hours I needed and the hours I could not work and he said that would be fine. Now my question is this, knowing all this and agreeing to it while I filled out the availability form, can he fire me if he asks me to work any night or weekend hours and I refuse to? What about vacation days for my daughter's school?


Question 2:
This same boss goes out for 3 or 4 smoke breaks in a 6 hour period and he does not even give me a 15 minute break to eat something. I eat breakfast at 9 and around 2 I am starving. How is this right?

Now my question is this, knowing all this and agreeing to it while I filled out the availability form, can he fire me if he asks me to work any night or weekend hours and I refuse to? What about vacation days for my daughter's school? Yes. Your employer may change your schedule or require you to work any time they wish. They have no obligation to work around your personal schedule or child care needs.

This same boss goes out for 3 or 4 smoke breaks in a 6 hour period and he does not even give me a 15 minute break to eat something. I eat breakfast at 9 and around 2 I am starving. How is this right?

Connecticut state law does not require your employer to provide you a break.

Regarding meal breaks, this is from CT's DOL website:

Your employer must provide you a meal period of at least 30 consecutive minutes if you have worked for 7½ or more consecutive hours. However, the Labor Commissioner will exempt your employer from this requirement if one of the following conditions is present:

a. complying with this requirement would endanger public safety;
b. the duties of the position can only be performed by one employee;
c. the employer employs less than 5 employees on that shift at that one business location (this only applies to that particular shift); or,
d. the employer's operation requires that employees be available to respond to urgent conditions, and that the employees are compensated for the meal period.

When you are the boss, you can take as many smoke breaks as you like. Until then, they only have to provide you the minimum that the law requires, which Beth has indentified.