Back legislation mandating breaks

   I would like to raise the public’s awareness about bill A-2629, which presently sits in committee. This bill would require New Jersey employers to provide rest and meal breaks to employees.
   For those of you who are lucky enough to work in an environment where this is not a concern, consider this: Imagine working 12 hours or more on your feet without so much as a 15-minute break?
   As a nurse working in a busy emergency room, I can tell you how it feels. I work on the front lines caring for you and your loved ones during the sickest and scariest moments of your life. Most often, I am working a full 12-hour shift without a break, barely having time to use the restroom. We are lucky to be staffed properly to care for the patients we see, much less being staffed to allow for someone to give us a break. On several occasions, I have become dizzy and shaky while attempting to start an IV only to have my sugar checked by a co-worker and found to be hypoglycemic. After a quick glass of orange juice and a danish from the vending machine, I am back up and running to continue taking care of my patients. This is absolutely unacceptable.
   By passing this bill, our state Legislature would send a clear message to N.J. employers that they care about the workers in this state. It is inhumane to expect anyone to work day in and day out without a break.
   I was disgusted to find that this isn’t already a law in this state. Are business and industry in New Jersey that powerful that they would prevent this bill from becoming a law by allowing it to sit in committee year after year?
   We must all speak up and write to our legislators and tell them that this is unacceptable. Please take the time to let them know that you care about those of us who are affected by this lack of legal support in our state.
Jennifer Vogel, of Dayton