Help Wanted: Lifeguarding with no break

"If there is more than one lifeguard on duty, the lifeguard should be given a meal break. If there is no one else on duty, the rules for a one-employee shift would apply, as long as the employee knows about the working conditions previous to taking the job."

And when you worked through lunch, the employer should have paid you.

"The employee must be paid for all of the hours he/she works, even if the employee eats while on the job," the department said.

Other breaks are up to the employer.

It's odd that your employer wouldn't make sure you took a meal break every day since your job of saving lives depends on your being mentally focused. You won't be if you work many hours without a break.

Regarding overtime, that kicks in after you work more than 40 hours a week. For those extra hours federal labor law requires companies to pay eligible workers at least 1 1/2 times their regular hourly wage. If the business is seasonal, however, it might not have to pay overtime under federal law. But in that case, New York labor law might require companies to pay employees overtime of at least 1 1/2 times the state's $7.25-an-hour minimum wage.

Most importantly for you, your company probably violated labor laws with your long days. State law generally caps the work day of 16-year-olds at eight hours a day. For more information call the Labor Department at 888-469-7365.
 

So she should insist on a meal break, since she is most likely entitled to one.

For more on meal breaks and state law, go to http://bit.ly/Vz6D6P. For more on state law and permitted working hours for minors, go to http://bit.ly/UQ7tQn.