Urgent: forced to work through lunch breaks

Quick background on my situation — any input appreciated no cap.

forced to work through lunch breaks. I've been dealing with this for about 14 months now and the situation isn't improving.

I have worked at this company for 1 years. My position is exempt and I do not have a written employment agreement beyond the standard offer letter.

Should I hire a lawyer for this or try to handle it myself?

Following this thread — I could have written this post myself. Same exact problem.

I've handled similar cases. Here's my take on the legal issues.

The legal framework here involves both federal and state law. At the federal level, OSHA regulations. Your state may provide additional protections.

I'd recommend documenting everything in writing from this point forward. Keep copies of all communications.

I went through almost the exact same thing.

The thing that gets people is filing with the appropriate government agency. I'd recommend gathering evidence first instead.

I've dealt with this before.

I ended up having everything documented, which cost about $3-6 but saved me a lot more in the long run.

I think half the threads here are about this exact issue.

I ended up escalating to a supervisor/manager, which cost about $1-3 but saved me a lot more in the long run.

I keep hearing about cases like this.

What trips people up most is hiring an attorney to send the initial letter. I'd recommend being patient with the process instead.