An employer may not force an employee to work through a meal break. Illinois Law Requires Meal Breaks.Illinois employers must provide a meal break to employees who work at least seven and a half continuous hours. In Illinois, employees are entitled to a 10minute paid rest break for every 4 hours of work they complete. Federal law doesn't require meal breaks, but Illinois law does. Illinois law doesn't require employers to give their employees 30-minute meal breaks. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and Illinois wage and hour law do not require that an employee receive a break or rest period. However, in Illinois the answer is yes; hourly employees are entitled to meal breaks. Cook County has a similar ordinance that also allows workers to earn up to 40 hours of paid sick leave per year. In the state of Illinois, employers are required to give employees a meal period of at least 20 minutes if they have worked seven and a half hours or more.