President Bush is about to finalize changes in the laws governing overtime pay that could take away overtime pay from at least 8 million people --- RNs and LPNs included. His changes will cut paychecks for families, erode the 40-hour workweek and encourage our employers to increase the use of mandatory overtime when they no longer have to pay for it.
Please sign the online petition opposing President Bush's overtime pay take-away by clicking on the link below.
Heck no, why should I sign? Nurses should be moving forward, not backwards. I think I will keep my "professional" status and pay (of $50-$55/hr) rather than "non-professional blue collar" status and pay (of $15-$20/hr). As a professional, I also get to limit the hours I work each week/month.
I find it amazing that such college educated people would rather make blue collar wages rather than have a professional salary. Let see, this month I will probably only work 40 - 50 hours all month. At $50 per hour . . . ya ....I think I can live off of that and still have some family time.
Heck no, why should I sign? Nurses should be moving forward, not backwards. I think I will keep my "professional" status and pay (of $50-$55/hr) rather than "non-professional blue collar" status and pay (of $15-$20/hr). As a professional, I also get to limit the hours I work each week/month.
I find it amazing that such college educated people would rather make blue collar wages rather than have a professional salary. Let see, this month I will probably only work 40 - 50 hours all month. At $50 per hour . . . ya ....I think I can live off of that and still have some family time.
This isn't the issue. The fact is if you work MORE than the required amount of hours, you should be compensated and no stupid president should be able to take that away. I don't think its a backwards movement, its about right vs. wrong. And this just doesn't affect nurses, it affects EVERYONE. Blue collar, white collar all the same. The fact is if you work the hours, you deserve the pay. no matter HOW much you were making to begin with.
I agree overtime is fine for blue collar workers. And I can see their grievance about this change. But as for professionals? Professionals aren't supposed to charge overtime. So why is this even being discussed by nurses? I thought that nurses were supposed to be professionals. I see myself as one and charge accordingly. It seems that most nurses view themselves as blue collar workers instead of professionals. How would you like it if your CPA charged you time and ½ for doing your taxes since he/she had already put in 8 hours before he got to your taxes? Guess that all professionals should start charging their clients overtime, lets see, that would mean that Doctors, Lawyers, CPAs, Pharmacists, etc. should start charging when they work over 8 hours a day. Know lots of lawyers that take things home to work on at night and weekends. How many hours past 8 do CPA's put in during tax time?
I agree that nurses are professionals. However, the majority of nurses are not free agents, nor are they salaried. They are paid hourly wages by an employer and thus are affected by issues of overtime pay.
Salaried workers, in theory, have certain goals and objectives that they need to manage their time to complete - sometimes working long hours - 60-80hrs sometimes. Some of these people are very well paid for these kind of hours, but that is not the issue here. An inpatient nurses' job is never finished; he/she passes on the patient care to the next nurse. It's shift work. Just like in factories and waitressing. Just because they share that in common doesn't make nursing unprofessional or an unskilled job. Of course not!
In order to be fair, it makes sense that the shiftworker ought to be able to finish all their work during their paid hours. Now, there will always be some little this or that requires a little extra time that may not be paid, but if a shiftworker has to regularly work overtime to finish their work, there's something wrong with the system. Forcing employers to pay extra for overtime is to encourage them to keep the job responsibilities do-able in the time frame, to make it more economical to create a new position than just having your regular employees work longer and longer hours to cover the work.
I'm no expert, obviously. So please be kind in pointing out flaws in my argument!
In order to be fair, it makes sense that the shiftworker ought to be able to finish all their work during their paid hours. Now, there will always be some little this or that requires a little extra time that may not be paid, but if a shiftworker has to regularly work overtime to finish their work, there's something wrong with the system. Forcing employers to pay extra for overtime is to encourage them to keep the job responsibilities do-able in the time frame, to make it more economical to create a new position than just having your regular employees work longer and longer hours to cover the work.
I would like to point a few things out. Trust me lawyers charge for eveything even if they take that work home with them, they are going to charge you, I promise they will. Damn shysters.
I know for fact that doctors we call at night in the ER for their patients charge for that call also. If you have a plastic surgeon come out at night, trust me he is going to charge you at a higher rate. The large majority of pharmacists all work for chains and they do shift work also, they like their OT also, I know this becaues A few of golf buddies are pharmacists. I cant really say, but if a CPA meets you after hours, I am sure there is an additinal charging also, who else is going to account for each every single minute.
Now the collar of my scrubs may be royal blue but I am a professional and have been for over 1/4 of a century now. Do I like my OT, hell yes. Do I think I am entitled to it, hell yes. Those nights in the ER when I am supposed to get of at 0200 and I dont leave untill 0500 because its too busy. Do I feel that then I am entitled to OT compensation, yes. Plus any other bonuses I can milk out of it too,
Also I know a large number of electricians, and plumbers and I think I would be very carefull to call them blue collar workers to their face, they are their own professionals and to prove it look at what they charge you,
Now I admire you for having a job where you get by just working 40 to 50 hours per month. That hasnt worked for me at all in raising a family of 7 kids. So congrats to you, but dont you dare get on to the rest of us about our alledged blue collar non professional status. And BTW, I get paid a hell of a lot more than 20 dollars per hour.
Heck no, why should I sign? Nurses should be moving forward, not backwards. I think I will keep my "professional" status and pay (of $50-$55/hr) rather than "non-professional blue collar" status and pay (of $15-$20/hr).... At $50 per hour . . . ya ....I think I can live off of that and still have some family time.
What hospital in Wyoming pays a bedside nurse $50/hr? Sorry, unless you are including alot of differentials, I find it hard to believe.
Also, when I lived in Wyoming "blue collar" was a status symbol; no one ever trusted the "professionals". It was and always will be the Cowboy State!
I live in Wyoming and NONE of the hospitals pay these. What WyomingRN is refering to is her own agency. Which is a way to go of course if you can swing it, but for the majority of nurses that is not the case.
I have said it before, i'll say it again. i don't care if you make $5 an hour or $100 an hour, IF you work the time over 40 hours, do you deserve OT? YES. Period. This profession is too important and too needy to squat on their nurses this way by cutting them below the belt and expecting nurses (or anyone for that matter) to give up their free FAMILY time at their benefit. Not me, no thank you. Not my husband either. NOPE. Doesn't matter if we are rich or poor, there has GOT to be a line drawn here.
wjf00
357 Posts
Another attack on the worker bees. Can't wait to vote him out.