new OT laws and how will affect nurses

Published

Hi

I was just reading in todays Sunday paper that in 2 weeks new OT laws will take affect and could affect nurses. thanks GW. Well when I first read about this a while back when first proposed it mentioned LPN being exempt from the 40 hour law but this article says RN is affected. I did mention that this could really impact the health care industry if nurses not getting OT.

Well I am still a student but wondering just what is up with the new OT laws and how they will affect those of us in the profession.

Has anyone heard much on how these laws will affect nurses and exactly who is considered exempt from OT.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Rodeo Nursing (Neuro).
Hi

I was just reading in todays Sunday paper that in 2 weeks new OT laws will take affect and could affect nurses. thanks GW. Well when I first read about this a while back when first proposed it mentioned LPN being exempt from the 40 hour law but this article says RN is affected. I did mention that this could really impact the health care industry if nurses not getting OT.

Well I am still a student but wondering just what is up with the new OT laws and how they will affect those of us in the profession.

Has anyone heard much on how these laws will affect nurses and exactly who is considered exempt from OT.

Hurray! Professional recognition for nurses, at last! Hurray!

The new law exempts employers from having to pay overtime to employees in certain "learned professions" such as doctors, lawyers, accountants and--you guessed it--nurses! In the past, exempt employees were typically salaried, but now wage earners are learned professionals, too.

This will stimulate the economy, since employers will no longer have to decide whether to pay overtime or hire more employees (means paying more benefits, if they pay benefits). Now they can keep the same number of employees and just work them more hours. More profits=richer rich people, and soon all that wealth will just naturally trickle down to the rest of us. Good times are just around the corner!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Hurray! Professional recognition for nurses, at last! Hurray!

The new law exempts employers from having to pay overtime to employees in certain "learned professions" such as doctors, lawyers, accountants and--you guessed it--nurses! In the past, exempt employees were typically salaried, but now wage earners are learned professionals, too.

This will stimulate the economy, since employers will no longer have to decide whether to pay overtime or hire more employees (means paying more benefits, if they pay benefits). Now they can keep the same number of employees and just work them more hours. More profits=richer rich people, and soon all that wealth will just naturally trickle down to the rest of us. Good times are just around the corner!

Nurses were classified as professionals under the old law too, you know...

Hospitals did not HAVE to pay OT to nurses, particularly if they were salaried, (I know MY nurse manager didn't earn OT, as she was salaried) but they played h*** finding staff nurses who would work overtime without the time and a half (mandatory OT is not the norm everywhere). Point is - if nurses are hourly employees, there is no law AGAINST their getting overtime, just as they were before. If mandatory overtime is not already in place, they do not have to work it if they are not offered the additional pay. Trying to introduce mandatory overtime (without OT pay) would not be a wise decision if there is anything that even resembles a nursing shortage in the particular area.

If the nurses in question are salaried employees, they would not have gotten OT pay anyway. The new law really does not change much of anything for nurses.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Nurses were classified as professionals under the old law too, you know...

Hospitals did not HAVE to pay OT to nurses, particularly if they were salaried, (I know MY nurse manager didn't earn OT, as she was salaried) but they played h*** finding staff nurses who would work overtime without the time and a half (mandatory OT is not the norm everywhere). Point is - if nurses are hourly employees, there is no law AGAINST their getting overtime, just as they were before. If mandatory overtime is not already in place, they do not have to work it if they are not offered the additional pay. Trying to introduce mandatory overtime (without OT pay) would not be a wise decision if there is anything that even resembles a nursing shortage in the particular area.

If the nurses in question are salaried employees, they would not have gotten OT pay anyway. The new law really does not change much of anything for nurses.

I completely agree. It won't change anything for me. The sky is not falling here folks.

steph

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Hurray! Professional recognition for nurses, at last! Hurray!

The new law exempts employers from having to pay overtime to employees in certain "learned professions" such as doctors, lawyers, accountants and--you guessed it--nurses! In the past, exempt employees were typically salaried, but now wage earners are learned professionals, too.

This will stimulate the economy, since employers will no longer have to decide whether to pay overtime or hire more employees (means paying more benefits, if they pay benefits). Now they can keep the same number of employees and just work them more hours. More profits=richer rich people, and soon all that wealth will just naturally trickle down to the rest of us. Good times are just around the corner!

Spoken like a true republican. Do you ever actually work overtime?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Nurses were classified as professionals under the old law too, you know...

Hospitals did not HAVE to pay OT to nurses, particularly if they were salaried, (I know MY nurse manager didn't earn OT, as she was salaried) but they played h*** finding staff nurses who would work overtime without the time and a half (mandatory OT is not the norm everywhere). Point is - if nurses are hourly employees, there is no law AGAINST their getting overtime, just as they were before. If mandatory overtime is not already in place, they do not have to work it if they are not offered the additional pay. Trying to introduce mandatory overtime (without OT pay) would not be a wise decision if there is anything that even resembles a nursing shortage in the particular area.

If the nurses in question are salaried employees, they would not have gotten OT pay anyway. The new law really does not change much of anything for nurses.

It doesn't change very much for nurses right now. The "shortages" are always cyclical. what happenes in a few years when there is a surplus of nurses?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Critical Care / Psychiatry.
Spoken like a true republican. Do you ever actually work overtime?

I thought the whole post was tongue in cheek sarcasm... No?

:uhoh21:

Shel

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Everybody wants to bash the Republicans. Have you ever wondered why the Democrats rarely get a man in the "Big House"? I cannot for the life of me understand why you want a Liberal Democrat in charge with our already gimme, gimme society. All this crap about OT, I don't want some burned out nurse on doing alot of OT taking care me and missing things. Fact of the matter is, hire enough staff to do the job right in the first place. That my friends is not a political issue. It is the cheap healthcare providers. Just another thought; I don't see the all powerful nursing groups / organizations like ANA, NLN or NYSNA doing anything to support us. Just keep doing all that OT, it will catch up to you. I have seen the mistakes made and people hurt. Think about it.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU, CM, Geriatrics, Management.
Spoken like a true republican. Do you ever actually work overtime?[/quote

Hello, Helllllllo -- Think you missed the obvious on this one. :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU, CM, Geriatrics, Management.
... just reading in todays Sunday paper that in 2 weeks new OT laws will take affect and could affect nurses...

Does the article indicate whether the legislation applies to non-salary workers, and specifically nurses?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I completely agree. It won't change anything for me. The sky is not falling here folks.

steph

I have been saying the same thing......also look at the Update:Fight for RN's Right to OT thread..........I'm just gonna stop reading these political threads, they just make me frustrated......

Up Vote Up Vote ×
It doesn't change very much for nurses right now. The "shortages" are always cyclical. what happenes in a few years when there is a surplus of nurses?

Well, it's highly unlikely that the "shortage" will end anytime soon, at least according to the U.S. Health Department. Demand from aging baby boomers is expected to increase nursing vacancies by 800,000 positions in the next 16 years.

Still, I don't like people messing with the overtime laws. It's a bad precedent, whether it affects all nurses or not. I don't know why anyone would think this is a good idea, just because it doesn't affect your job right now. It could affect other positions you obtain in the future, since employers can choose not to pay if they don't want to.

P.S. NurseMike: I got your sarcasm, even if others didn't.

;)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion