2 ms·

The Bush Administration passed a regulation exempting "computer professionals" broadly from overtime pay in 2003. It is really a union issue: the government ca

The Bush Administration passed a regulation exempting "computer professionals" broadly from overtime pay in 2003. It is really a union issue: the government can't be counted on to have workers' interests at heart when workers aren't the ones running the government. Workers should do it ourselves.

serge2k 10y ago
> exempting "computer professionals" broadly from overtime pay in 2003. I don't understand why this is still a thing. How have we, as a group, not gotten such a horrible law overturned. Oh right, some people think working 60 hours a week is okay. sigh.
- eli_gottlieb 10y ago
  >I don't understand why this is still a thing. How have we, as a group, not gotten such a horrible law overturned. It's not that loads of people think 60 hours/week is ok. It's that lots of people seem to think there's something immoral and mafia-esque about collective bargaining and organized labor. Labor rights don't get improved because people walk away from bad jobs (there will always be someone sufficiently desperate as to undercut everyone else, even if the employers have to change a bunch of laws to make it happen), and they don't get improved because the government sees just how lovely and moral it would be to improve labor rights. They get improved because workers unite and fight for our collective interests. To my mind, people who don't admit this have a strangely romanticized conception of how business works.
  - serge2k 10y ago
    I get that, but there is a gap between all salaries and promotions are based on seniority and firing a lousy employee is impossible vs. an organization of professionals who will fight for lousy employment laws. You also have wage fixing/anti-poaching agreements that could potentially be more effectively fought. Overly broad non-compete agreements are another obvious target.
syshum 10y ago
>regulation exempting "computer professionals" broadly from overtime pay in 2003. I am aware, I am also aware the "computer professional" is narrowly defined and simply because you work with a computer does not make you a "computer professional" I am aware of several companies that do not classify their employees properly >> Workers should do it ourselves. Workers should by refusing to work those jobs, I myself am Salaried Non-Exempt. I personally disagree with the concept of unions, and find they are often worse over the long term

serge2k 10y ago

> exempting "computer professionals" broadly from overtime pay in 2003. I don't understand why this is still a thing. How have we, as a group, not gotten such a horrible law overturned. Oh right, some people think working 60 hours a week is okay. sigh.

eli_gottlieb 10y ago
>I don't understand why this is still a thing. How have we, as a group, not gotten such a horrible law overturned. It's not that loads of people think 60 hours/week is ok. It's that lots of people seem to think there's something immoral and mafia-esque about collective bargaining and organized labor. Labor rights don't get improved because people walk away from bad jobs (there will always be someone sufficiently desperate as to undercut everyone else, even if the employers have to change a bunch of laws to make it happen), and they don't get improved because the government sees just how lovely and moral it would be to improve labor rights. They get improved because workers unite and fight for our collective interests. To my mind, people who don't admit this have a strangely romanticized conception of how business works.
- serge2k 10y ago
  I get that, but there is a gap between all salaries and promotions are based on seniority and firing a lousy employee is impossible vs. an organization of professionals who will fight for lousy employment laws. You also have wage fixing/anti-poaching agreements that could potentially be more effectively fought. Overly broad non-compete agreements are another obvious target.

syshum 10y ago

>regulation exempting "computer professionals" broadly from overtime pay in 2003. I am aware, I am also aware the "computer professional" is narrowly defined and simply because you work with a computer does not make you a "computer professional" I am aware of several companies that do not classify their employees properly >> Workers should do it ourselves. Workers should by refusing to work those jobs, I myself am Salaried Non-Exempt. I personally disagree with the concept of unions, and find they are often worse over the long term