OH: Legislation would allow comp time (instead of overtime pay)

[The Straight Story]

COLUMBUS

Legislation that would allow small businesses to offer their employees compensatory time off instead of overtime pay could be headed to a vote in the Ohio House — over the objections of Democratic opponents.

House Bill 61 moved out of committee Thursday on a party-line vote, meaning the chamber could take it up at any of its coming voting sessions.

The legislation would allow private businesses with annual gross sales of $175,000-$500,000 to allow employees to take time away from work for overtime hours they have worked.

That compensatory time would be offered on an hour-for-hour basis, meaning employees could take an hour off for every hour of overtime worked, rather than getting paid time and a half.


http://www.vindy.com/news/2011/feb/25/legislation-would-allow-comp-time/

[CBGLuthier]

1. I worked under those conditions once years ago

Got fucked over royally. Worked 12 hour days six days a week. Accumulated weeks of time off and yet when I tried to take some of it my asswipe boss could not afford to cover it.

[TheCowsCameHome]

2. "I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today"

Quote: Wimpy

[Botany]

3. This is bullshit!

Work now and I will give you time off (unpaid) later.

[Brickbat]

4. This rarely works well, especially at a small business.

Bosses resent you coming in an hour later the next day, so you start banking it, and if you think bosses resent you coming in an hour later every day for a week, see how they feel when you want to take a few days off somewhere on top of your vacation. Good luck with that.

[Ohio Joe]

5. Thats weird....

During the ten years I was at Nationwide, they offered comp time all the time. Whenever I was asked to do a disaster recovery/business continuity exercise, we were always given comp time. Since it was done so openly, I never looked into if it was allowed.

[PA Democrat]

6. This is a GREAT bargain for the employer.

They get discounted labor and what essentially amounts to an interest-free loan.

[white_wolf]

7. It seems okay in theory, but

I could see it being abused very easily and besides lets face it people need the extra money right now more than they need time off. And to be honest I have my doubts about a company making 500k not being able to afford overtime.

[End Of The Road]

8. I pity the (underpaid & overworked) bookkeepers at those small businesses

who now have to keep up with "banked" time off.

But I've got to wonder if this new legislation can only apply to small businesses NOT involved in interstate commerce, since FLSA applies to all businesses involved in interstate commerce and states may not countermand FLSA (or so I believe).

For workers at small businesses not covered by FLSA, this legislation might actually help some of them. There are a lot of small employers who work their employees like slaves, with neither overtime pay NOR comp time.

[hobbit709]

9. What will that comp time buy me at the grocery.

no extra money, no extra work.

[The Straight Story]

10. Here is how a RW'er would respond: Save up that time, and work a temp job while off

:rofl:

[hobbit709]

12. you know what my response to that would be.

Take it and fold it until it all sharp corners and you know where to stick it.

[mmonk]

11. What about workers for the billionaires and their big companies?

Let's not pretend this attack is just about small business.

[yellowcanine]

13. Fair Labor Standards Act could prohibit this if firms are involved in interstate commerce.

http://www.dol.gov/compliance/guide/minwage.htm

Even though this is "voluntary" it is a problem because it is real hard to prove that an employer pressured an employee to take comp time instead of getting overtime pay.

[Maine_Nurse]

14. See, thats one thing I don't like about unions, especially in my job...

I don't always like what others like. I'd love comp time as an option. As it is with our union, more than 3 minutes extra time and you have to go to the office and get a "chit" and a verbal spanking for going overtime. No, if a patient is in an emergency situation, nobody is going to "spank" me, but I'm a nurse, not a bookkeeper--I can't just set a sheet of numbers down and pick it back up in the morning. I have patients and scooting out exactly at end of shift isn't always easy, nor is it the right thing to do. I should be able to finish dealing with a patient's needs before I have to leave.

[Aerows]

15. This does not end well for the employees

Wait until people start getting fired for actually taking their comp time, and then have to sue because the employer makes things up. Welcome to 12 hour days.

[Liberal In Texas]

16. I was in a job that gave "comp time" instead of overtime.

It was a nightmare for everybody. There was so much comp time amassed that it was almost impossible to ever take it. Somebody was always out using their "comp time" causing somebody else to have to work extra hours to cover and create more comp time for that person.

When we finally unionized and the union filed a federal lawsuit (the company lost on appeal to a fed. circuit) it was amazing how the scheduling problems disappeared when the comp time went away and we got paid for the extra hours/days we worked.