Section 168. Hours of labor of certain state employees

1. This section
  shall apply to all persons employed by the state in the  ward,  cottage,
  colony,  kitchen  and  dining  room,  and guard service personnel in any
  hospital, school, prison, reformatory or  other  institution  within  or
  subject  to  the jurisdiction, supervision, control or visitation of the
  department of correction, the department of health,  the  department  of
  mental  hygiene,  the  department  of  social welfare or the division of
  veterans' affairs in  the  executive  department,  and  engaged  in  the
  performance  of  such  duties  as  nursing,  guarding  or  attending the
  inmates, patients, wards  or  other  persons  kept  or  housed  in  such
  institutions, or in protecting and guarding the buildings and/or grounds
  thereof, or in preparing or serving food therein.
    2.  No  person to whom this section is applicable shall be required to
  work more than eight hours in any day or more than forty hours  or  more
  than six days in any calendar week except in cases of fire, riot, flood,
  famine,  pestilence  or  other  cases  of  emergency endangering life or
  property; provided, however, that any such person, upon his own  request
  and  with  the  approval  of  the head of the institution in which he is
  employed, may be permitted to work one additional eight-hour day in  any
  calendar  week  for  not  more  than seven calendar weeks and be allowed
  continuous days free from duty equivalent to the  number  of  additional
  days  so worked. The provisions of this section shall not be interpreted
  to increase the number of working hours per day or the number of working
  days per week of any person for whom a shorter work-day or work-week  is
  now provided.