Anybody familiar with Oregon labor law? Mandatory OT starting today...

[Viper GTS]

In trying to deal with the Nimda worm, my company just sent out an e-mail making OT mandatory for the next three days. 5 hours minimum between the three days.

Their requirements:

Today:

Everyone must stay one hour late.

Tomorrow:

Everyone must come in one hour early AND stay one hour late.

Saturday:

One hour early, one hour late.

They're walking around putting it on everyone's desks right now.

Ordinarily I work as much overtime as possible, but there's a slight problem this time. I have no car, & I live 30 miles from work. Until I buy a car my mom leaves 1 hour early for her work, & drops me off at the end of the light rail system, which is right by where she works. I ride light rail back there, & we go home. She works M-F, as do I.

Can they punish me if I refuse to do this? I'm already inconveniencing her by more than an hour a day, I'm not going to push that to three.

Bastards.

:|

Viper GTS

 

[spidey07]

?

i put in 18 hourse yesterday and will probably do another 18 today. you're getting off kinda easy.

<edit> overtime as in over 40 hours?

 

[kranky]

I don't know the specific Oregon law, but I'd say it's a 99% chance they are within their rights. To minimize your own pain, try asking if it would be OK if you do the overtime only two days (but do the extra hours on the two days) so one of those three days are your regular schedule. Maybe they'd rather have more coverage Friday than Saturday (for example).

 

[Viper GTS]

Yes, they're making mandatory 5 hours beyond 40 between now & midnight Saturday.

That does not include OT worked earlier in the week when they were asking for it (which I've been doing, by taking 1/2 hour lunches & working 1/2 hour late to put in an hour a day extra.)

If it were just me, & I had a car, I wouldn't care. I'd probably work 12 hour days for the money.

But I can't do that without my parents driving me to & from, & I won't do that.

Viper GTS

 

[Geekbabe]

I don't drive and have learned over the years that it is best to make every effort not to make my transportation problems become the problems of my employer.

Perhaps you can negitate to do all the OT in one day or perhaps you can borrow a car ? Is there a co-worker you could pay that drives near the train station or perhaps a friend you could stay overnight with close by ? If worse comes to worse,Id just bite
the bullet and figure that the OT money will go towards cab fare to get you back and forth to the train station.

 

[weezergirl]

can u possibly ask one of your coworkers to drop u off?

 

[Viper GTS]

I live 30 miles from work, 15 miles from the end of light rail.

baffled2

Up until now, it has not been. I have showed up on time every day for my schedule, the same schedule I've had for the last six months. I have worked the 1/2 hour lunches, & even asked my mom to wait an extra 1/2 hour so I could do a total of an hour a day.

But stretching my shift by an hour in each direction is not acceptable with so short notice.

Viper GTS

 

[Windogg]

Dunno about the laws but be glad you are hourly. Us salaries schmucks don't get a penny for more than 40 hours a week. If I stay late and come in on weekends it's "volunteer" work. For me 50 - 60 hours a week is the rule rather than the exception. :|

Windogg

 

[Ameesh]

ask your employer if he can arrange transportation for you and maybe other employess who are in a similar position.

 

[mithrandir2001]

It depends on the job. If it is a summer, between-semesters kind of job, you can generally tell them "tough, I can't accommodate that schedule on such short notice". If it is a permanent, career job, make your boss aware of your situation, suggest an alternative, if he nays that, ask "then, tell me, if you were in my shoes, what would you do?"

 

[skace]

Same here Windogg, us exempt employees get the shaft!

 

[StageLeft]

Yet another straw on Viper's back

 

[SpongeBob]

Dunno about the laws but be glad you are hourly. Us salaries schmucks don't get a penny for more than 40 hours a week. If I stay late and come in on weekends it's "volunteer" work. For me 50 - 60 hours a week is the rule rather than the exception.

Yep, usually I don't have to work more than 40 a week, but when I do, I don't get sh|t for it. Salaried sucks:|

 

[Nitemare]

I think here it is ...
the company has to give you 24 hours notice on the overtime. Technically they aren't supposed to be able to make you work more than 40 hours a week, but you will have to look at your contract you signed when working with them...ask hr.
Unfortunately with all the layoffs it is an employer market right now and they can pretty much do what they want...after all what are you going to do quit in this economy?

I would try to catch a ride with a co-worker as well(offer money, food or beer.. that will always get you a ride)

 

[The Dancing Peacock]

can employers mandate overtime, I didn't think they could do that. There might be some link on the net...

Damn, guess I was wrong.

Taken from the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries:



<< Q. Can I require employees to work overtime?

A. Yes. You can discipline an employee who violates your policy by working overtime without the required authorization. However, wage and hour laws require that you compensate the employee for any hours you "suffer or permit" the employee to work.
>>



Oregon BOLI


No good, man.


late.

TDP

 

[bcterps]

<< Dunno about the laws but be glad you are hourly. Us salaries schmucks don't get a penny for more than 40 hours a week. If I stay late and come in on weekends it's "volunteer" work. For me 50 - 60 hours a week is the rule rather than the exception. :|

Windogg >>



I hear you man, ever since this WTC disaster, my department has been crazy (financial company). We had 2 office relocations, and I've been working 60-70 hours a week and not getting paid a dime of overtime. We were just coming out of a merger situation where we had worked really hard for 5 months to get things together, also not getting paid overtime, and now this happens. It'll take months for us to totally recover and I wont get paid a dime for any overtime I work. Oh, if you think that is bad, get this, EVERYONE ELSE in my team is paid overtime. It's a long long story and I kinda wanted to stay on topic, too late, sorry Viper.

Back to the topic, Viper I'm also quite sure that they are within their rights, it sucks, but at least your getting paid.

--Ben

 

[EagleKeeper]

With the extra OT hours, you can either catch a cab or maybe get a bicycle. Excellent exercise to keep in shape to chase the opposite sex.

 

[Psylence]

What? AT if forcing you into mandatory Off Topic posting in Oregon? I don't think they can do that!

 

[Jzero]

<< can employers mandate overtime, I didn't think they could do that. There might be some link on the net...

Damn, guess I was wrong.

Taken from the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries:



<< Q. Can I require employees to work overtime?

A. Yes. You can discipline an employee who violates your policy by working overtime without the required authorization. However, wage and hour laws require that you compensate the employee for any hours you "suffer or permit" the employee to work.
>>



Oregon BOLI >>



Wait a minute....all this says is that you (worker) can be be disciplined if you work overtime without permission and that if the company asks or allows you to work overtime, they have to pay you for it. It doesn't actually say that if you are "suffered" to work overtime that you can't refuse. I'd say check your contract or terms of employment.

 

[Viper GTS]

Q. Can I require employees to work overtime?
A. Yes. An employer may dictate an employee's work schedule and hours. Employers may discipline or even terminate employees who refuse to work scheduled overtime. It is advisable to give employees as much advance notice of overtime requirements as practicable.

From Here

Viper GTS

 

[NikPreviousAcct]

Viper, go buy a blow-up doll (one WITH clothes ), set it in your chair with your headset on its head and go home early.

 

[palad]

I second Ameesh's idea. Talk to your supervisor and tell them you cannot find transportation for those hours. Don't be confrontational, but work with them on it. They will be more willing to be understanding about it, and besides, if you are willing to work something out and they aren't, it'll look better for you in court.

And

CALL A LAWYER!

They will know your local employment laws better than we will, and will often give a brief (free) consultation over the phone so you can know your rights.

When something like that came up here where I worked, I spoke with my manager privately and told him that I had health reasons not to -- specifically, Iwould get so stressed out that I would wind up killing somebody. Well, not in so many words, but the last few years my body doesn't hold up to that kind of stress as well, and just talking to him one-on-one got me out of it. I agreed to modify my schedul to cover the busier hours for a while, but I still only worked 8 hours a day.