uncompensated overtime

[housejd]

What about papers that have pre-approved overtime, in that you're only supposed to get OT if management says it's cool?

What are the laws if you end up getting stuck late because of a late breaker and nobody's around to approve it? If they would be unwilling to approve it the next day, would you have any rights? Just curious on that one.

 

[Starman]

What about papers that have pre-approved overtime, in that you're only supposed to get OT if management says it's cool?

What are the laws if you end up getting stuck late because of a late breaker and nobody's around to approve it? If they would be unwilling to approve it the next day, would you have any rights? Just curious on that one.

If it's explicit (i.e. written) company policy that all OT must be approved, call your supervisor and get his OK in the case of emergency breaking news.

If the supervisor cannot (or will not) be contacted, send the paper to bed without the late breaking story and clock out at the end of your shift.

Knock off a quick memo like this:

"I, housejd, was willing and able to devote the time necessary to get the story on the Hooker Alley murders, which broke at 12:17 a.m., into the Daily Grunt, but was unable to do so since such actions would have entailed violation of the DG policy against non-approved overtime. Absent authorization from my departmental superior, I elected to abide by company policy."

Make sure you can document your attempt to contact superiors (when you call the ME, EE or publisher, tell the person at the next desk, 'I am calling Mr. Publisher').

 

[kingcreole]

Overtime ... allow me to guffaw at that term.

I'm hourly along with our other full-time writer. We're shorthanded right now, and with state football recently, our basketball tab and the local college that I cover playing football (not to mention basketball going strong) through last weekend, it's been hell. We were told we could ask for overtime for the upcoming pay period. Great! I've never even tried before because I knew it would be a waste of time. I tracked my hours carefully last week. Made it to 50, which for a busy week is probably normal for me. Just something I've never tracked before.

So I had planned on asking for 10 overtime hours. I was given less than half that for overtime pay. I want to tell them just to keep it.

 

[JayFarrar]

My solution is not to work more than 40 hours.
Do I miss stories? Yep. Does it bother me? Yep. Does it bother me more that I work for a multi-billion dollar media conglomerate and is so cheap, they won't spring for the occasional time and a half? Yep and that's why I won't work over.

 

[fossywriter8]

When I started my part-time paper job years ago, it was at the start of fall tab season. We were (and still are) on two-week pay periods. I can't remember the exact amount, buy my hours for that two-week stretch went way, way beyond the normal part-time hours and into overtime land.
The pencil pushers went ballistic and complained to my sports editor, who told them -- politely -- that it was too bad and to cut the check because the work had to get done and there's only a short amount of time to do it.

 

[BrianGriffin]

I worked at a shop as a manager and was appalled -- absolutely appalled -- to find that they had made it a non-spoken policy that the hourly workers would work more than 40 hours but only turn in 40. It was one of the reasons I was only at the place for five-six months. Not only did it offend me, as a manager I felt vulnerable to being named in a lawsuit.

This wasn't some backwoods place either. Well, that's a relative term. It was a city big enough to be considered a metro market, put it like that. Nor was it in some obscure chain that wouldn't know better.

I found out later than my replacement quit after a few months for the same reason.

 

[murphyc]

My solution is not to work more than 40 hours.
Do I miss stories? Yep. Does it bother me? Yep. Does it bother me more that I work for a multi-billion dollar media conglomerate and is so cheap, they won't spring for the occasional time and a half? Yep and that's why I won't work over.

Wish I'd had that attitude at my last shop. Moreso, my wife wishes that. It was a small daily with two in sports, four in news. Other sports guy and I covered the snot out of the local prep sports scene (five schools), stayed up late doing stories, pics and layout then back in before crack of dawn. I couldn't bring myself to only work 40 hours, figuring the readers deserved better. If I had, I could have gone home Thursday morning and been done for the week.
When I was hired, I was told there was OT. Then that was cleared up: my editor had to approve it, and he was under heavy pressure from above to not grant OT. I was there about 18 months, believe I got OT three times for extra-busy weeks. So I did two timecards each pay period. I kept track of the real hours, then did a doctored one showing 40 hours and put the real one in my desk in case I ever decided to call the Dept. of Labor and force the company to pay OT. Many times I was tempted to blow the whistle, especially when I knew I was leaving, but I didn't.

 

[Fredrick]

I worked at a shop as a manager and was appalled -- absolutely appalled -- to find that they had made it a non-spoken policy that the hourly workers would work more than 40 hours but only turn in 40. It was one of the reasons I was only at the place for five-six months. Not only did it offend me, as a manager I felt vulnerable to being named in a lawsuit.

This wasn't some backwoods place either. Well, that's a relative term. It was a city big enough to be considered a metro market, put it like that. Nor was it in some obscure chain that wouldn't know better.

I found out later than my replacement quit after a few months for the same reason.

Good for you 2. You are my heroes. Everybody in sports at our shop must work 60 or more and get paid for 40. The key is you have to sign your life away each week saying you only worked 40. You sign it, you can't sue.

 

[Ace]

I worked at a shop as a manager and was appalled -- absolutely appalled -- to find that they had made it a non-spoken policy that the hourly workers would work more than 40 hours but only turn in 40. It was one of the reasons I was only at the place for five-six months. Not only did it offend me, as a manager I felt vulnerable to being named in a lawsuit.

This wasn't some backwoods place either. Well, that's a relative term. It was a city big enough to be considered a metro market, put it like that. Nor was it in some obscure chain that wouldn't know better.

I found out later than my replacement quit after a few months for the same reason.

Good for you 2. You are my heroes. Everybody in sports at our shop must work 60 or more and get paid for 40. The key is you have to sign your life away each week saying you only worked 40. You sign it, you can't sue.

You don't have to sue. You only need to call the Department of Labor.

However, if you are an exempt employee -- and I could see a small paper making the one- or two-person sports staff exempt employees -- then you can work till the cows come home. But I don't know that you necessarily would need to fill out a time sheet.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

Do what Murphy does, Fredrick. Have two timesheets. Keep records. If you can prove that they are screwing you, they won't fire you, for fear that they'll get slapped with a big-ass lawsuit.

 

[JayFarrar]

My place is screwed if the Dept. of Labor ever compares mileage records to time sheets.
Mileage is honest to the T, so if I get work and get mileage on Saturday, I list it and get reimbursed. But my time sheet will say I didn't work that day.
I suspect that's the case at lots of places. Expenses are honest, time sheets aren't.

 

[flexmaster33]

Yes, it's all about managing your hours. We are paid OT at my job, but the recent directive has been no OT hours (unless pre-approved during busy playoff time, etc). But at the same time, my bosses make sure that we are out the door at 40 hours.

As others have said just make sure its a productive 40 hours and you are working to your full potential.

 

[Fredrick]

Do what Murphy does, Fredrick. Have two timesheets. Keep records. If you can prove that they are screwing you, they won't fire you, for fear that they'll get slapped with a big-ass lawsuit.

This is a good idea. Thanks.

 

[Cosmo]

My solution is not to work more than 40 hours.
Do I miss stories? Yep. Does it bother me? Yep. Does it bother me more that I work for a multi-billion dollar media conglomerate and is so cheap, they won't spring for the occasional time and a half? Yep and that's why I won't work over.

This.

 

[Ace]

My solution is not to work more than 40 hours.
Do I miss stories? Yep. Does it bother me? Yep. Does it bother me more that I work for a multi-billion dollar media conglomerate and is so cheap, they won't spring for the occasional time and a half? Yep and that's why I won't work over.

This.

In some cases I wonder if the unpaid overtime is something that bosses demand or expect or if it's something that the underpaid workers just assume is expected of them or what they figure is the minimum needed to do the job correctly.

It could be that the boss sees you turn in 40 hours every week and figures if you're willing to do that, he's not going to complain.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

My solution is not to work more than 40 hours.
Do I miss stories? Yep. Does it bother me? Yep. Does it bother me more that I work for a multi-billion dollar media conglomerate and is so cheap, they won't spring for the occasional time and a half? Yep and that's why I won't work over.

This.

In some cases I wonder if the unpaid overtime is something that bosses demand or expect or if it's something that the underpaid workers just assume is expected of them or what they figure is the minimum needed to do the job correctly.

It could be that the boss sees you turn in 40 hours every week and figures if you're willing to do that, he's not going to complain.

At my first job, the attitude of my bosses was, "Do whatever it takes. It's part of your job." If it took 40, it took 40. If it took 50, it took 50. They paid me a weekly salary.

And I had been told by some people that other reporters worked 70 hours a week at that job. I simply refused and would tell the bosses that I already had plans.

 

[Taylee]

I suspect that's the case at lots of places. Expenses are honest, time sheets aren't.

I suspect that both are doctored. Not necessarily from you, but at my previous job I knew those who would add to their expenses to compensate for the lack of overtime. One supervisor, not mine, even suggested it.

Friend worked at another place that was audited by the government. He'd been gone for about five years, but kept two versions of his time cards. This was about 7 years ago, and if memory serves, he got a check for about $8,000.

At my previous stop, we had a guy on the staff, who was very good at the job, was single and pretty much a loner. He could leave when his work was done but would come in early or stay later or extend his work day because he "had nothing better to do." After about a month, he started complaining that he was working 50 hours a week and not getting compenstated. The boss had to start strict monitoring of his hours.