How safe is the 40 hour work week in the USA?

LottomagicZ4941 · Post by **LottomagicZ4941** » Fri Nov 12, 2004 4:27 am

How safe is the 40 hour work week in the USA?

Got to discussing this over in joke land A.K.A. "Just For The Fun Of It" http://www.forumgarden.com/forums/showt ... 1#post8885 but it may be a more aproprate discussion here.

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My employer claimed we would get more time off with our family if we went to 12 hour days.

Well I have done the math and they lied.

Use to work 40 hour weeks. Five days of eight hours. Now they want us to work 3 day on 3 days off 4 days on 4 days off. This is 182.5 days of working a year. 182.5 times 12 is 2,190. There was a rumor that we would not get overtime for our long week of 48 hours. And it turns out the rummor is true. We are on a 28 day cycle and we will not earn ovetime unless we work over 168 hours.

They claim they are going to "give" us an extra 44 hours of holiday time. 110 - the 44 "given" = 66 hours getting jiped.

How many hours do you work a week and do you get overtime?

__________________

Lotto

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Magic

Peg · Post by **Peg** » Fri Nov 12, 2004 6:36 am

It's sad that they can get away with this but the fact is they can. Years ago, hubby worked a job where you stayed over night one day and worked 8 hours the next. They did not pay you for the overnight, just 8 hours of it. It took getting even more ripped off in his pay for hubby to call wage and labor and start asking questions. They ended up having to pay for the last 5 years that the employees spent the night because they were required to be there.

I worked a job where you didn't get paid for lunch, but yet you weren't allowed to leave the work site.

I now work only 30 hours a week, but some weeks get more. Even weeks I have worked over 40 hours, I get paid straight time. Needless to say, I'm not willing to work over 40 hours.

A Karenina · Post by **A Karenina** » Fri Nov 12, 2004 8:08 am

I'm an accountant - read: anal. :wah: Paid breaks were not calculated.

At my company, the work time is 36.25 hours per week plus 2.50 hours in paid breaks = 38.75. (2015 hours annually).

On average, I work about 45 hours per week plus another 5-10 hours per week from home. I'm salaried, so no overtime. But, it works both ways. If I need to leave early for a doctor's appointment or an emergency, I'm still paid for the full week. At holidays, they usually push us out the door early - so the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, I'll work about 6-7 hours and then go home.

LottomagicZ4941 · Post by **LottomagicZ4941** » Fri Nov 12, 2004 1:16 pm

"I worked a job where you didn't get paid for lunch, but yet you weren't allowed to leave the work site"

Don't know if it is federal or state but my cousin got Dairy Queen fined 2k when she left.

She was in high school and they would have the kids clock out and study when it was slow. If your not permitted to leave then you should be on the clock.

Good jobs are so hard to find.

My own dad is against me on this one. He says for what I get paid I am just being a trouble maker to complain.

Lotto

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MagicZ4941

Paula · Post by **Paula** » Fri Nov 12, 2004 3:55 pm

Well we are doing here an averge of 55-62 hours per week, per employee. Wages range from 16.00 to 24.00 per hour, overtime and lunch breaks included. I am an accountant who puts forward 50 hours weekly into the business. We are self employed, our type of work would never be completed in a 40 hour work week, although we are working on increasing our people so there is less over-time to pay, but - my employees want the overtime? As winter approaches we scale back to 40 hours weekly for about 2 months. I would have to say 40 hours per. week is perfectly safe.

LottomagicZ4941 · Post by **LottomagicZ4941** » Thu Dec 02, 2004 12:18 am

Your kind of counter dicting yourself if you work over 40 most of the year.

How is the 40 hour work week safe?

My pay check is looking a tad larger so perhaps we are getting paid straight time for the extra howers. Don't know why they would not have just said this if it were the case.

However last month was only partial on the new system so perhpas they were still paying on the old system.

Needless to say I will be watching my checks carefully.

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Magic

weeder · Post by **weeder** » Wed Dec 08, 2004 3:33 am

Ive been self employed for the past 12 years.Learned when I was very young that overtime was a joke,taxes took it all. Ageeing to salary gave the employer liscence to work you to death. The name of the game is to get as much work from employees as possible, while paying them the least amount of money you can. There are very few employers whose outlook is to pay people well. Even fewer acknowledge the need for people to have free time, family time, or a life away from work.My belief is that anyone who has the ability to do so..should work for themselves.Its great :: I work about 60 hours a week, and right now I dont pay myself,because its a new business.I dont however, have anyone to be angry at.

Paula · Post by **Paula** » Wed Dec 08, 2004 6:07 am

our people keep this business running, they don't leave for a reason? 401 K, health benefits, and excellent pay. you must have worked for a poor company? or you didn't earn enough to pay well? we are not stingy in the least. I pay my own son who is 27 an annual salary of $80,000.00, and all my people have paid cells & 2 ways? Christmas bonus of $500.00 for all, a banquet for employees and subcontractors yearly? don't know what to tell ya? hope your makin enough to get by? :driving: :driving:

lady cop · Post by **lady cop** » Wed Dec 08, 2004 7:28 am

we work 12 hour days/ or nights, 6 to 6. then we get ordered in on our days off half the time. we are reeling from exhaustion, mental and physical, and i consider it quite unsafe due to the nature of our work. we get one half hour break and that is it! we shall have a new sheriff in january and many of us are going to try to change this. but don't feel hopeful. i do not know anyone among my compatriots who is not completely wiped out most of the time.it's not only unsafe for us, it destroys quality of life, when we are off-duty we are too tired to enjoy life. most of us don't even know it's Christmas.

greydeadhead · Post by **greydeadhead** » Wed Dec 08, 2004 7:41 am

Just one question.... who actually works a 40 hour work week.. I mean my average week from now until March is around 60 hours.. maybe the 40 hour week is ancient history..

weeder · Post by **weeder** » Wed Dec 08, 2004 1:08 pm

Paula wrote: our people keep this business running, they don't leave for a reason? 401 K, health benefits, and excellent pay. you must have worked for a poor company? or you didn't earn enough to pay well? we are not stingy in the least. I pay my own son who is 27 an annual salary of $80,000.00, and all my people have paid cells & 2 ways? Christmas bonus of $500.00 for all, a banquet for employees and subcontractors yearly? don't know what to tell ya? hope your makin enough to get by? :driving: :driving:
Paula..It would be great if there were more employers with your outlook. Nice to hear that people are appreciated.My field is an artistic one, and so notoriously known for low pay. Sounds like I should have applied to your firm for a position.

But probobly not, because I am very happy doing the work I do. I also do much better than just getting by,thank you.

Paula · Post by **Paula** » Wed Dec 08, 2004 2:02 pm

weeder, we are not artist here, i don't think you would like the pace, i could identify by your statement - that you would probably be some-one we would not look at? if your field of employ is not profitable, change may be needed? if any-one is to work just 40 hours weekly, they better have enough to do & money? retirement comes fast? bye, bye.. :-3

gmc · Post by **gmc** » Wed Dec 08, 2004 4:18 pm

I used to be a manager with ASDA-now owned by walmart in the UK. there was a clause in the contract for a manager, hours as required, which in pratice meant ridiculous hours that were counter productive as you were so knackered decision would take ten minutes rather than 30 seconds as your thought processes were so slow. Short week about 62 hours my record was two weeks 100 hours plus over a christmas period. The culture of the company was that the managers worked long hours. management turnover was phenomenal. Once upon a time I was Career orientated so put up with the crap but that christmas was the last straw now I'm self employed

:-4 :-6 . Hack of a good work experience but I'm glad it's over. After that nothing I've done feels as pressured

Given half a chance most big companies will start exploiting their workers it's very easy for that kind of culture to creep in-it's bad management but it's not always good managers that can play the corporate game.

I think the rot stats when they start talking about human resources rather than personnel. A resource is something you use up and throw away and they forget people are more complex and not just cogs, as sson as better jobs come along everybody leaves and they are left wondering what happened.

weeder · Post by **weeder** » Wed Dec 08, 2004 4:40 pm

Gmc.. There is a book here that came out about 15 years ago. I t is an expose

on K mart which is a smaller version of Walmart. Walmarts make me sick, by the way. They had an actual plan, where they put people on a track to become managers, worked them to death, dumped them at an age when they were no longer employable, and then hired kids half their age, for half their pay to start the cycle all over again WHEW! what a long sentenc Anyone who relys on someone else to provide them with a pay check is a fool. In the olden days, everyone was self employed. And my theory is that those days are coming again.

There will be A LOT OF HUNGRY PEOPLE WHO DONT HAVE A CLUE HOW TO SURVIVE using their own wits.. What do you do self employed in Scotland? I learned a bit about Scotland years ago. A young woman stayed with me for a whi

while when my boys were small. John, Brian, its time e go to bed. They still fondly laugh about it 15 years later.

lady cop · Post by **lady cop** » Wed Dec 08, 2004 5:04 pm

Hi Weeder, and welcome. i do object to "anyone who relies on someone else to provide them with a paycheck is a fool" ( to paraphrase your comment)...how could we have the helping professions such as nurses in hospitals, fire-rescue, teachers, police, if they did not rely on their respective employers? i will never be wealthy as a cop, however we are the people who are needed by society and don't get rich, but do gain satisfaction from our work.

capt_buzzard · Post by **capt_buzzard** » Wed Dec 08, 2004 5:05 pm

LottomagicZ4941 wrote: How safe is the 40 hour work week in the USA?

Got to discussing this over in joke land A.K.A. "Just For The Fun Of It" http://www.forumgarden.com/forums/showt ... 1#post8885 but it may be a more aproprate discussion here.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My employer claimed we would get more time off with our family if we went to 12 hour days.

Well I have done the math and they lied.

Use to work 40 hour weeks. Five days of eight hours. Now they want us to work 3 day on 3 days off 4 days on 4 days off. This is 182.5 days of working a year. 182.5 times 12 is 2,190. There was a rumor that we would not get overtime for our long week of 48 hours. And it turns out the rummor is true. We are on a 28 day cycle and we will not earn ovetime unless we work over 168 hours.

They claim they are going to "give" us an extra 44 hours of holiday time. 110 - the 44 "given" = 66 hours getting jiped.

How many hours do you work a week and do you get overtime?

__________________

Lotto

http://www.flalottomagic.net/cgi-local/ ... elcome-344

Magic

Its back to Slavery.............

Peg · Post by **Peg** » Wed Dec 08, 2004 10:37 pm

weeder wrote: Gmc.. There is a book here that came out about 15 years ago. I t is an expose

on K mart which is a smaller version of Walmart. Walmarts make me sick, by the way. They had an actual plan, where they put people on a track to become managers, worked them to death, dumped them at an age when they were no longer employable, and then hired kids half their age, for half their pay to start the cycle all over again WHEW! what a long sentenc Anyone who relys on someone else to provide them with a pay check is a fool. In the olden days, everyone was self employed. And my theory is that those days are coming again.

There will be A LOT OF HUNGRY PEOPLE WHO DONT HAVE A CLUE HOW TO SURVIVE using their own wits.. What do you do self employed in Scotland? I learned a bit about Scotland years ago. A young woman stayed with me for a whi

while when my boys were small. John, Brian, its time e go to bed. They still fondly laugh about it 15 years later.

If it weren't for us fools who rely on someone else to provide our paycheck, where would you get the supplies neccessary to run your business?

gmc · Post by **gmc** » Wed Dec 08, 2004 11:30 pm

posted by weedor

In the olden days, everyone was self employed. And my theory is that those days are coming again.

Where on earth did you get the idea that everybody was self employed? Very few people have the money or ability to start a business on their own from get go, most work for somebody at some point.

You might be partly right in some sense as we move in to a more technological age. Just think of all the jobs around now that did not exist twenty years ago

Have you read any of Tofflers books? I'm thinking of the third wave in particular

http://www.skypoint.com/members/mfinley/toffler.htm

http://www.skypoint.com/members/mfinley/toffler.htm

Alvin Toffler

The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.

He and his wife also wrote one called future war which is even more interesting in light of what is going on in Iraq just now.

weeder · Post by **weeder** » Thu Dec 09, 2004 2:40 am

Peg wrote: If it weren't for us fools who rely on someone else to provide our paycheck, where would you get the supplies neccessary to run your business?
The subject is,How safe Is the 40 hour work week. It isnt safe,or secure at all.

Technology is finding ways to provide services, and supplies without the use of

employees. My outlook is that it would be wise for as many people as possible

to cultivate ways to provide themselves with making a living. There will always be

people working for other people. However,if there were fewer of them, they would

become more valuable.

Paula · Post by **Paula** » Thu Dec 09, 2004 5:10 am

self employment means --- you gotta be tough --- or you just don't make it. You must work hard, sacrifice, and make sure your bills are paid, no thinking of yourself at all..It is a money recycling effort that eventually builds to success, endurance is a main factor, without -- you die. simple as that...yes, i am almost a man, missing a few parts.. :wah: :wah:

gmc · Post by **gmc** » Thu Dec 09, 2004 12:30 pm

posted by Paula

self employment means --- you gotta be tough --- or you just don't make it. You must work hard, sacrifice, and make sure your bills are paid, no thinking of yourself at all..It is a money recycling effort that eventually builds to success, endurance is a main factor, without -- you die. simple as that...yes, i am almost a man, missing a few parts..

That's all very well for you but I am a recovering workaholic. It's really hard to resist the temptation to work all the time but I do me best. This forum is a great help in my endeavour. I could spend hours here and keep away from the temptation to work but I keep being drawn away by phones by e-mail :wah:

There is no such thing as self employed I work for the taxman the bank (it's no accident that banker rhymes with another ruder word that I won't use here). Why don't they go out and get a proper job. I can't speak to the branch now only these blasted call centres. ah well internet banking for me I think.

cars · Post by **cars** » Thu Dec 30, 2004 9:50 pm

LottomagicZ4941 wrote: How safe is the 40 hour work week in the USA?

Got to discussing this over in joke land A.K.A. "Just For The Fun Of It" http://www.forumgarden.com/forums/showt ... 1#post8885 but it may be a more aproprate discussion here.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My employer claimed we would get more time off with our family if we went to 12 hour days.

Well I have done the math and they lied.

Use to work 40 hour weeks. Five days of eight hours. Now they want us to work 3 day on 3 days off 4 days on 4 days off. This is 182.5 days of working a year. 182.5 times 12 is 2,190. There was a rumor that we would not get overtime for our long week of 48 hours. And it turns out the rummor is true. We are on a 28 day cycle and we will not earn ovetime unless we work over 168 hours.

They claim they are going to "give" us an extra 44 hours of holiday time. 110 - the 44 "given" = 66 hours getting jiped.

How many hours do you work a week and do you get overtime?

__________________

Lotto

http://www.flalottomagic.net/cgi-local/ ... elcome-344

Magic

Ah yes, working past "40" hours per week. ( I remember it well, working 55 to 65 hour work weeks for many, many years!. First the "company" made the first "5" hours of overtime worked as "free". ( Then after the 5 free, the overtime pay was "straight" time for the hours worked, no premium rate. ( Then the company abolished all overtime pay, but still expected the employees to continue working the current 15 to 25 hours overtime all for "free"!!

Then the employees developed/adopted a overtime compensation attitude;

IT'S NOT "HOW MANY" HOURS YOU PUT INTO THE DAY, BUT "WHAT" YOU PUT INTO THE HOURS!!!

People put in 12 hour days as company required, but in reality only really put in 5 or 6 hours of actual work in the day! Pacing themselves throught the day, looking busy when necessary! In the long run, the company "hurt" itself by compelling their employees to work extensive "FREE" overtime!! :guitarist

Cars

LottomagicZ4941 · Post by **LottomagicZ4941** » Tue Jan 04, 2005 4:06 pm

Even if I get a new job I will endever to support the 40 hour work week.

Lotto

http://www.flalottomagic.net/cgi-local/ ... elcome-344

MagicZ4941A

Paula · Post by **Paula** » Sat Jan 22, 2005 10:28 am

Angie, you are right. Nurses work their butts off. My husbands recent knee replacement, i said to him, boy those nurses have it tough? You just don't stop, bells are ringing and everyone needs something at the same time...Give A Nurse A Hug, there deserve it.

lady cop · Post by **lady cop** » Sat Jan 22, 2005 10:48 am

i was an RN through the late 60's, early 70's. i became burned out. as many nurses do. i worked OR and also a cancer research hospital. of course what i have done these past years has been just as intense,in a different way ( i have no sympathy for my "clients") and in fact contributed to my recent heart attack. the one thing about nursing today that is worrisome is the prevalence of AIDS. you and i have no "right" to know who is infected. so you must use precautions with everyone of course. i simply behave as though everyone has it, my interactions are in a a lot less controlled environment than yours, i can be spit upon as well as exposed to blood often. however, i would not go back to nursing where a needle-stick can kill you. when i search someone i tell them if they have a needle on them, and don't tell me, they are going to find themselves on the floor real fast.

Post by **kensloft** » Sat Jan 22, 2005 4:13 pm

lady cop wrote: we work 12 hour days/ or nights, 6 to 6. then we get ordered in on our days off half the time. we are reeling from exhaustion, mental and physical, and i consider it quite unsafe due to the nature of our work. we get one half hour break and that is it! we shall have a new sheriff in january and many of us are going to try to change this. but don't feel hopeful. i do not know anyone among my compatriots who is not completely wiped out most of the time.it's not only unsafe for us, it destroys quality of life, when we are off-duty we are too tired to enjoy life. most of us don't even know it's Christmas.

Three and a third days a week work is plenty. Somehow, I remember, when I was growing up I heard and was given to understand that all the new gadgets that we were inventing would cut down on the amount of time that we would have to work. What happpened?

People, as a rule, are working longer hours that our parent did. And our parents had a stay at home mom in the mix? With more that the nuclear family to house and feed?

I'd prefer a thirty-two hour week. That extra day could give someone else a part time job that can be used to add to the tax base. There are a million other things that I'd rather be doing than making myself sick and the boss rich. And I want to do them now because I don't know what is going to happen tomorrow. Let alone be here tomorrow.

Police work is not a job. It is a career. Careers put the concept of family and free time on the back burner until you are ready to retire. Whether you are on Wall Street or Main Street career means you give up the most important things in your life. You give up your family and try to get by with seeing them flash before your eyes as they grow without you being there to celebrate their growth.

A thirty-two hour work week would do a lot to revitalize the economy. Of course you want to be paid the 5 day work week for the 4 day week and that is do-able when one takes into consideration that the experience should be paid for in the wages.

Starting out at a job for six dollars an hour and working till you are making eighteen an hour in simple arithmetic tells you that you are making three times as much money as when you started. Now the only decision is whether you want to go the materialist trip and for the remainder of your life you work at about the same level and buy stuff you don't need.

I am not suggesting that you go off and start to loll about doing recreational things. Fixing up the house is fun and it is an investment. Instead of working that extra day to save up money to be able to pay people to do whatever renovations that you want, you can buy the materials and do it for yourself. You'll learn new things. Acquire new skills. Be around the family more.

People don't give themselves enough credit for their abilities to do things. Because of specialization they think that they are incapable of doing things that they can do. People forget about acquiring new skills. Developing new ways to think and do things that are beneficial to you and your family. Develop the multiplicity of skills that is inherent in the human being.

Forty hour weeks are safe and easy but as a standard they don't happen everywhere. It is an ideal to many. Ask the truck driver. Or the bus driver.

Many people, as they approach their retirement, dream about having lost being around their children growing up as much as they wanted to be. When you can get businesses and the government to guarantee a forty hour week then you'll have enough time to be with the family. If not, remember there are alternatives to the staus quo.

LottomagicZ4941 · Post by **LottomagicZ4941** » Thu Aug 18, 2005 11:40 pm

"( i have no sympathy for my "clients") "

Then you have no busisness in the line of work your in because many criminals are victims of poor family upbrining.

We have way to many people in jail.

Drug charges are a waist of tax payer money.

It should be a healt issue not a criminal issue.

Granted some addicts will steal. Okay at that point they have crossed a line and become criminal!!!

One the aids issue I will agree with you that we should have a right to know to protect ourselves. Had the fist people been quarantieened(sp?) we would not have an epidemic.

Lotto

"sig lines aint spam"

MagizZ4941A

PS we should have sympathy for all humans!!!

PPS what can we do to save the 40 hour work week?

tibsie · Post by **tibsie** » Sun Aug 28, 2005 11:21 am

In the UK 50-60 hour weeks are the norm and we are actively and aggressively fighting our opt-out of the EU working hours directive that would limit us to 45 hours max. If we had to abide by it, it would be illegal to work more than that.

(I think the info above is accurate but I have been known to be wrong)

----------------------

Cheap Webhosting and Domain Names

www.toms-hosting.com

Bez · Post by **Bez** » Sun Aug 28, 2005 1:57 pm

[quote=LottomagicZ4941]"( i have no sympathy for my "clients") "

Then you have no busisness in the line of work your in because many criminals are victims of poor family upbrining.

I don't agree with you here Lotto....people have choices in life....many of LAdy Cs 'clients' know right from wrong but have made there own choices. Ok ...stealing to keep bread on the family table is one thing, but violence, child abuse etc are BAD. I salute Lady C for the work she does....she's a brave and humanitarian lady as are nurses, firefighters para-medics etc.

As for the working week....I work 39ish hours. because I am salaried i don't get extra for working overtime. We have a maximum 48 hr week (working time directive) in line with the EU. If somone has a second job and works more hours all they have to do is sign a bit of paper to 'opt out'. This rule does not apply to everyone...until recently DRS etc could work crazy hours....i think something came in on Aug 5th that brings their hrs down to something more sensible. There is quite a lot of protection here for employed people because we have to be in line with Europe. I know from what my sister tells me (from San Diego) you guys don't seem to have so many employment rights as we do.

Now if you were Danish....they can't move without Unions say so and they have so many public holidays it's crazy....16ish.....they get paid well and their education and health service is excellent but ...wait for it...the pay 50% of their wages in income tax. !!!!

Accountable · Post by **Accountable** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 8:13 am

LottomagicZ4941 wrote: "( i have no sympathy for my "clients") "

Then you have no busisness in the line of work your in because many criminals are victims of poor family upbrining.

You're posting to a cop, not a judge. Her job is law enforcement. Stop and think how incredibly dangerous it would be to consider each suspect's background and upbringing when deciding whether to arrest or counsel.

A person's upbringing and victim status are irrelevant when enforcing the law.

lady cop · Post by **lady cop** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 8:26 am

hey ACC...i ALWAYS stop and ask the guy i have at gunpoint if his mommy spanked him when he was little. or if he got enough birthday cake. ...you're correct, it's the judge's and jury's business to decide what mitigates the guy who just robbed the 7-11 at gunpoint. i could give a rat's arse.