(I am answering this anonymously due to complaints I made to the state about this workplace which have not yet been resolved.)I told my manager I was not the only person taking federally-mandated 10 minute breaks.I was working at a busy soup/salad/sandwich place in a UC college town in CA. I won't say what city, but this place had been known for its enormous salads since the 1970s prior to a fire which burnt it to the ground.I was hired the 2nd week of their reopening after rebuilding. I worked my ASS off, never took a sick day (since it wasn't allowed) took any shift that was needed and as many extra responsibilities as possible to show management that I took the job seriously and was in it for the long haul.This was the first job I had been offered in the 5 years after having my child, so I was desperate to not only get back into the working world but to also show my employers they did right hiring me: an overweight unknown with a 5 year gap in their resume.I worked. And worked. And WORKED. I was one of the few employees available for the school holidays. I would be able to come in with 10min notice. I would stay after hours after I finished cleaning the salad area to make sure the bread loaves in the kitchen were plastic wrapped and put aside for the morning breakfast rush.All 42 loaves of bread. Off the clock.I would fill in for the dishwasher when they would be fired/not show up in addition to my regular duties.I made friends with the kitchen staff and the bar staff next door (same owner) so I could inform our customers what every ingredient was in their meals.I made sure to bleach and scrub the 4 cutting boards at least once per month, I tried to do it every week, but was told by management "it wasn't necessary", even when I saw mold actively growing on the boards.So I did it off the clock, cause that shit was DISGUSTING!I informed the head chef when I found a baby cockroach frozen in an ice cube I had just scooped from the ice machine.I told management about the full-sized German Cockroaches we saw running wild underneath the register area, which is less than 2 inches from the food storage and service area. One long lunch counter and a clan of roaches underneath…I kept my mouth shut when the Bar Manager (the Owners best friend) propositioned me, screaming at me accusing me of stealing when I started eating the rest of my lunch after I clocked out, and I stayed on after half the bar staff quit after he cornered and sexually assaulted a lone female bartender the day before.Nothing was done about his behavior and the restrictions put upon him were repeatedly violated. When I was told to text the manager of he came into the bar after 10pm, and he did so at 11:30pm 2 nights afterward, I was told I was hanging out at the bar too much (I had JUST finished cleaning and had clocked out 10min prior), why am I there afterhours (the bar closes at 2am that night) and that I am NOT the {name redacted} enforcer and to mind my own business.The thing which got me fired happened on a Saturday shift. I was working from Noon to 8pm, with a 1 hour lunch break between 4–5pm. I was working as a floater, which meant my entire job was making sure the food line was being stocked with ingredients faster than they could run out. In a place where we were so busy we would help 20 customers in 2 minutes (the management timed us via camera), this meant a LOT of running around and a LOT of heavy lifting.The salad dressing came in 10Gal buckets which had to be brought 100ft from the walk-in to the food line, then lifted to fill the large ramekins on the counter. Four different dressings. Plus the salad mix needed to be replenished every 10min or so…I also need to to refill the to-go boxes, napkins, mustard, mayonnaise, horseradish, roast beef, turkey, ham, marinated tofu, tuna salad, chicken salad, salami, peanut butter, bananas, avocados, bacon, tomatoes, lettuce, jalapeños, banana peppers, onions, sprouts, cherry tomatoes, beans, boiled eggs, and croutons.I had to pay attention to the levels of the 3 soups we had available and inform the kitchen of we needed more heated up. I was more often than not also the person heating them.I had to hand cut the bread loaves, but could only fit 6 cut loaves at a time on the back board, so I was cutting loaves every 10–15 minutes.In short, I was exhausted that day.At 6:30pm I noticed we had a lull in customers and decided this would be a good time to take my 1st 10min break of the shift. My coworkers all agreed they'd be fine and that I should go on my break. The moment I clocked out my manager decided that I shouldn't be going on a break right then. She kept repeating that I had gone "on AN HOUR BREAK" just 1 1/2 hours earlier. She said that phrase 5 times. I only had another hour and a half until I was off of work and this would be the only chance I get to take a break before the dinner rush started.I had been working there 30–40 hours/week for the previous 10 months, so I KNEW when the rush would start.She asked me "How do your coworkers feel about you being the only person taking cigarette breaks?!""I'm not the only person taking 10 minute breaks."She became so incensed that if it weren't for my coworker standing behind me to ask her a question I know she would have started screaming at me right there and then. She then told me to finish my break (I now had 3 minutes remaining), and the rest of the shift passed without incident.That was Saturday. I had Sunday off and the place was closed for a holiday on Monday.On Tuesday, 2 hours before my scheduled shift I got a text message from the owner telling me that I was being let go and ALSO banned from the premises. The security crew were informed of the ban and I shouldn't embarrass anyone by making them enforce it.He refused to give me a reason, either through text or in person later that day when I went in to pick up my final paycheck.I finally got a reason when I was forced to fill out a reason to file for unemployment benefits.The reason? Given by the same manager who argued with me about taking a break:"So go ahead and choose Discharged (fired) for the drop down menu.For the explanation, just say that your employer no longer felt that you represented the company in a manner that the company felt was appropriate or a reflection of our practices and standards."Yeah. I was fired for taking my first 10min break 6 1/2 hours into my shift.Even the unemployment representative was dubious saying over the phone "Well, that says a lot of nothing."I got my UI benefits, but I still reported them for denying proper breaks, not allowing us to use or accruing sick leave, and for retaliatory termination.
