on call pay? - page 3

1. 
   Apr 24, '07

   Well, get this!
   The hospital where I work in Philadelphia is planning to force us to take on call. This is being done because management has decided it is cheaper to force the staff to work overtime than it is to pay pool or agency nurses to cover holes in the schedule. My nurse manager even told me this when I pressured her for a straight answer why this was being done.
   We will not be paid anything for being on call, not a dime! If we get called in we get our regular pay, plus overtime for anything over 40hrs per week.
   Is it legal to force people to be on call on their days off and not pay them for it?
   Also, nurses that work in the OR are paid for being on call, but us med-surg scut-monkeys will not be.
2. 
   Apr 24, '07

   Check your contract for legality. And are you union?
3. 
   Apr 25, '07

   Thanks for the reply. The short answer is: no; and no.
   We have no contract to check, and we are not union. We are at the mercy of Fearless Leader, who euphemistically answers to the title of nurse manager.
   Needless to say, most of the staff are very unhappy about this, and many are planning to quit if this goes through. However, most (if not all) the nurses on my unit (except me of course!!) are unwilling to speak up and complain about this. They will quietly gripe and complain amongst themselves, while continuing to kiss Fearless Leader's butt, right up until the time they quit and take their services elsewhere! I guess I can't blame them, because Fearless Leader's standard answer to complaint's like this is "well, if you don't like it, there's the door!"
   For what it's worth, she (the nurse manager) is a dedicated nurse who genuinely cares about pts. and quality care; but her leadership and management skills are nonexistent, and it shows.
   I don't yet know how this will play out. One small hope: house bill 834 to ban mandatory overtime recently passed the PA house of representatives. I'm not sure if it applies to "on call" though.
4. 
   Apr 25, '07

   Legal or not, I sure wouldn't work there!
   
   I googled around and found this: "Despite the efforts of the PA State Nurse's Association, there is no limit to the number of hours that a nurse, or any other employee, may be required to work, under PA law ....... Under the PA mandatory overtime laws, an employer may legally require an employee to work overtime".
   
   Google around for more information, there's a ton of stuff you can find.
5. 
   Apr 25, '07

   I would be getting really politically active. I wish you the best, may have to vote w/your feet. Or do like me, and go perdiem. I am so sorry.
6. 
   Apr 29, '07

   I'm an aide on med-surg. We get $4.00/hr for 6 hours, then we're off the hook. The aides work 8 hr shifts.
   
   I'm stunned that on-call pay is so low for some folks! Yikes!
7. 
   Apr 30, '07

   Im in post-partum. We have to take 12 - 16h of on-call time per month. We get something like $2.50/h to sit home and wait for the phone to ring. and just regular pay if we have to come in. If we go over 40h, it becomes overtime.

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