New overtime bill

Nurses Activism

Published

This has probably been hashed before but just curious . . .

Any conversation of this in your hospitals, etc???? Would like to know your thoughts on it. Concised below but more info is available by search.

Re: new federal overtime law that permits employers to deny overtime pay for anyone making in excess of about $23K/yr. Mainly affects those who may be legally required to work overtime: healthcare, police and fire folks. Passed thru about a month ago.

Background: Actually was enacted to give the working poor (and PRNers) the ability to make overtime pay. Big business boo hoo'd and threw money and lobby power around Washington. Program was re-written to put the cost on the backs of the usual middle class workers. Congress was "outraged" and labor went nuts trying to fight it. A big uproar ensued, but lobbying $$ poured into Congress and they readily endorsed the program as it's now written.

Just another reason I won't vote for GW.

Phil

The union contract specifis compensations, including the amount to be paid for any overtime worked. Depending on what is negotiated, nurses get time & a half, double time, or more for overtime. Some hospitals pay a "fine" to the RN in extra overtime pay over and above the regular OT if they mandated the RN to do the OT. All of that stuff is detailed in contracts. As long as we have that in our contract, we get the OT pay no matter what the law says. Its just like with the the Family Medical Leave law. We have a better benefit than that law in our contract, so we go by the contract - not what the Family Medical Leave Act dictates. Same thing would happen with the OT ---- BUT once the law is in place allowing for less, the employer tries to get the NEXT contract changed to go with the law. So after this law is in effect, union nurses (and other unionized workers) may have a hard time negotiating to KEEP their OT pay in contracts to come. And if it isnt in the contract, whatever the law says applies to them too.

For some of us- this bill seriousily screws us! I am the Admissions Director of an LTC. That means plenty of late nights and weekends.Let's see how willing I am to work 10-12 hrs a day plus weekends now.....

The only part of this position that makes it worth it is the money- including the overtime. Take that away and it's just a REALLY fast-paced, stressful job that's not worth it!

Thanks alot Mr. Bush......

This Bush proposal was attached to the huge spending bill from Congress. Bush threatened to veto the whole appropriations measure UNLESS this overtime measure was included. Senate passed it and it's law (or will be as soon as Bush pens it).

As for unions . . why do you think they've been protesting this over the past several months. They know once it becomes law it's extremely difficult for them to do anything making them look ineffective among their members.

I guess all we can hope for is for Bush to get canned and enough ground swell opposition influences Congress to get rid of this ridiculous thing. Let's hope so anyway.

Here's a link if you need one . . .

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/editorial/2379506

Phil

Specializes in Trauma,ER,CCU/OHU/Nsg Ed/Nsg Research.

I wish I had a scanner so I could show you guys some of the full-of-crap letters I've gotten in response on this from one of the KY Congresswomen (Ann Northup- can't stand the woman) who actually supported this. Basically, her reasoning for feeling all was OK with this was that they are trying to also pass a bill to limit the amount of overtime nurses can work, and she made mention to the Nursing Incentive Scholarship fund...blah, blah, blah. Her record shows that she's voted for everything the ANA has ever been against since she's been in office. And she used to be a teacher, so she ought to know how these things work. Teachers are unionized here (although their union sucks). So, it looks like they're trying to sucker in new nurses who don't know any better, and trap them into these kinds of working conditions, because "That's just the way it is".

If my workplace doesn't offer overtime any more voluntarily, and if everybody follows suit in this, I will leave nursing for good, or go agency again (what benefits would we have to lose at that point?). This might just force us all that want to stay in nursing to become independent contractors. Either way, I don't think they're giving us nurses credit enough for having enough creativity to get around this on our own. I really do forsee this making the shortage worse if our facilities don't voluntarily continue to offer us things like OT. Hopefully they're smarter than to even think about taking it away.

+ Add a Comment