4 ms·

"More than 80% of the workers working across three assembly lines were contract employees paid minimum wage for eight-hour workday...when their shift ended, man

by zelos 7y ago

"More than 80% of the workers working across three assembly lines were contract employees paid minimum wage for eight-hour workday...when their shift ended, many walked off the job, he said—even if the lines were still running." Of course they did, that's what anyone in that situation would do surely? Are they supposed to work for below minimum wage because the company can't organise shift changeover properly?

Someone1234 7y ago
"We wanted them to work for free, they said no, so we're moving to China." -- Essentially the complaint here.
ken 7y ago
No -- well, it depends, and that's a false dichotomy. I work until the job is done (or I'm cut) and the workplace is safe. It's the employer's responsibility to pay me at least the legal minimum wage for hours worked. If that means I'm going into OT because they can't organize shift changes properly, that's their problem. There are usually also legal or contractual requirements for breaks, so I'd be prepared to say "I'm walking away this minute -- unless you want to pay meal penalty?" (I've said that once or twice, and the response has always been "Go, take an hour!") Texas doesn't seem to have any laws requiring worker breaks (wow), and the article doesn't mention if they have a union, but Texas law does apparently require at least a 1.5x pay rate for any hours beyond 40/wk. Depending on their contract, either they should walk away as they do, or they should keep working until relieved and get paid for OT. Nobody is suggesting they should do extra unpaid work.
- hbosch 7y ago
  > If that means I'm going into OT because they can't organize shift changes properly, that's their problem. If I'm a minimum-wage contract worker, I might have another job to go to after this one and I can't work OT. I need to go home, feed my children perhaps, and then get them to bed before my night shift at Food Co. or my evening English lessons. If you're paying minimum wage, and not hiring your workers full time, you can't automatically expect your hires to just "stick around" for overtime. Also, many employers do not let employees take overtime period because in some places once a contractor passes over XX hours per week, they are entitled to benefits.
- coolsunglasses 7y ago
  >I work until the job is done (or I'm cut) and the workplace is safe. It's the employer's responsibility to pay me at least the legal minimum wage for hours worked. If that means I'm going into OT because they can't organize shift changes properly, that's their problem. My experience working in factories as a young man was that employers hawked over time cards obsessively and threatened to fire you for a first or second time offense if you went into OT.
- walshemj 7y ago
  For traditional factory work OT was where you made bank - and there are lots of ways this can be manipulated.
JaimeThompson 7y ago
There is a very good chance that those workers would have been fired had they gotten overtime so they may have been forced by management to do that.

by zelos 7y ago

Someone1234 7y ago

"We wanted them to work for free, they said no, so we're moving to China." -- Essentially the complaint here.

ken 7y ago

No -- well, it depends, and that's a false dichotomy. I work until the job is done (or I'm cut) and the workplace is safe. It's the employer's responsibility to pay me at least the legal minimum wage for hours worked. If that means I'm going into OT because they can't organize shift changes properly, that's their problem. There are usually also legal or contractual requirements for breaks, so I'd be prepared to say "I'm walking away this minute -- unless you want to pay meal penalty?" (I've said that once or twice, and the response has always been "Go, take an hour!") Texas doesn't seem to have any laws requiring worker breaks (wow), and the article doesn't mention if they have a union, but Texas law does apparently require at least a 1.5x pay rate for any hours beyond 40/wk. Depending on their contract, either they should walk away as they do, or they should keep working until relieved and get paid for OT. Nobody is suggesting they should do extra unpaid work.

hbosch 7y ago
> If that means I'm going into OT because they can't organize shift changes properly, that's their problem. If I'm a minimum-wage contract worker, I might have another job to go to after this one and I can't work OT. I need to go home, feed my children perhaps, and then get them to bed before my night shift at Food Co. or my evening English lessons. If you're paying minimum wage, and not hiring your workers full time, you can't automatically expect your hires to just "stick around" for overtime. Also, many employers do not let employees take overtime period because in some places once a contractor passes over XX hours per week, they are entitled to benefits.
coolsunglasses 7y ago
>I work until the job is done (or I'm cut) and the workplace is safe. It's the employer's responsibility to pay me at least the legal minimum wage for hours worked. If that means I'm going into OT because they can't organize shift changes properly, that's their problem. My experience working in factories as a young man was that employers hawked over time cards obsessively and threatened to fire you for a first or second time offense if you went into OT.
walshemj 7y ago
For traditional factory work OT was where you made bank - and there are lots of ways this can be manipulated.

JaimeThompson 7y ago

There is a very good chance that those workers would have been fired had they gotten overtime so they may have been forced by management to do that.