service work and pay

[hillbilly1]

In the case of Hostess, this is what happens when you have a crappy product that can only compete on price. When they need to take better care of employees, they can't raise the money to do it.

There are a lot of people around here that work twice as hard and don't make anywhere near the money they were making at Hostess. That's why I have to drive to Atlanta to make good money.

 

[masterinbama]

In the case of Hostess, this is what happens when you have a crappy product that can only compete on price. When they need to take better care of employees, they can't raise the money to do it.

The Hostess employees gave $110 million a year in concessions. Management thanked them for their donation by giving the CEO a 300% raise and bonuses to all the upper level sorts.

 

[hillbilly1]

The Hostess employees gave $110 million a year in concessions. Management thanked them for their donation by giving the CEO a 300% raise and bonuses to all the upper level sorts.

Spread out amongst how many employees? Did the CEO and upper ups get the 110 mil? Probably not. They got the bonuses as incentives in putting the company back in the black again. We got a good deal on our president, never meet a payroll. Never had to make a profit, but great on redistributing the wealth. We tried that in Virginia when this nation was very young, and it failed miserably. I think our economy would be much better off hiring some one who was experienced in business. You get what you pay for. There's not much skill in pushing some buttons on automated equipment, or moving product around. So you expect them to get paid a whole lot for unskilled work? Get an education if you want to make more money. A living wage, just like healthcare is not a right.

 

[jmellc]

If I had a boss that tried to nickel and dime me like that with different rates for travel and work on an overtime Saturday, I don't think I'd be doing much overtime for him. My family would be much more appreciative of me, I'm sure.

I worked for 1 co. that used every trick in the book to cheat us out of time. Work week was Mon-Sun in all printed documents, but pay week was Fri-Sat. Start work with them on a Mon, work 5 days, next week get paid for 4. Take Fri off for an appointment, etc. and you are already behind for next week. They got out of a lot of OT that way too, though I am sure they charged it out.

 

[jmellc]

Spread out amongst how many employees? Did the CEO and upper ups get the 110 mil? Probably not. They got the bonuses as incentives in putting the company back in the black again. We got a good deal on our president, never meet a payroll. Never had to make a profit, but great on redistributing the wealth. We tried that in Virginia when this nation was very young, and it failed miserably. I think our economy would be much better off hiring some one who was experienced in business. You get what you pay for. There's not much skill in pushing some buttons on automated equipment, or moving product around. So you expect them to get paid a whole lot for unskilled work? Get an education if you want to make more money. A living wage, just like healthcare is not a right.

I hear a report too, that Hostess was forced to use 1 worker to load Twinkies, another to load Wonder Bread, another for cupcakes, etc. and that if the 3 products went to the same customer, they had to be delivered in 3 different trucks, by 3 different drivers. No one can survive long in business having to do this kind of foolishness.

I have worked in several occupations, office as well as field & seen a lot of situations. I grant that sometimes executives are overpaid and some do not provide much value. But a lot of the "working people" who turn the nuts & bolts always think "the boss is out to get them". I have worked with dozens of whiners who never spent a dollar for better education/training, didn't spend $ for needed work boots. bought only the minimum of tools they needed, stretched out breaks & lunch, milked jobs, etc. Then they wonder why the rug was pulled from underneath them. 1 guy I worked with was a low level helper whose car died on him. Boss let him use an old truck, sometimes gave him fuel too. Helper complained about cost of fuel. I could count on 1 hand the helpers I ever knew who were provided vehicles. He wouldn't buy steel toe boots either, & later the boss gave him a pair. Yet, if his check was a day late for some reason, he griped that he wasn't taken care of. We have to at least change our own diapers & be adults. Maybe even shed the diapers?

 

[kwired]

Take Fri off for an appointment, etc. and you are already behind for next week.

You still took one day off during a particular pay period. You still have the same net in the end if you have a regular number of hours every pay period, only difference is in which pay period the day off happened to take place.

 

[jmellc]

You still took one day off during a particular pay period. You still have the same net in the end if you have a regular number of hours every pay period, only difference is in which pay period the day off happened to take place.

Wrong. The whole structure starts one off a day behind. Most of the nation runs on a Mon-Fri or Mon-Sun week. If I could see the books, I'm sure they billed that way too. Plus, it puts 2 normal off days, Sat & Sun into the pay week.

They also don't bother to tell you until you've gotten your 1st check & are missing a day's pay from it. They explain it when you inquire about it. As I said, all their printed documents stated a Mon-Fri or Mon-Sun work week. Any reasonable person would think the pay ran the same way. Every other weekly pay business I worked for paid that way. This one co. was the only 1 I ever knew that did this.

Start a job on Mon with normal 8 hour days, 5 days a week. Get your check following week, missing 8 hours. Working 10 hours/50, you get a check for 40. Your Fri pay goes on next week. So you thought you had 10 hours OT? Nope, you may get it next week if you don't happen to miss a day then. I'm sure there is nothing illegal about it but it is lowdown. I call it as I see it. Sometimes labor is sorry & lazy, sometimes management is conniving & manipulating.

 

[G._S._Ohm]

Regarding the FLSA:
I worked for a gov. agency until a boss with OCD drove me out.
After some time I got a notice that this agency was in violation of the FLSA for seven (!) years. And this is a government agency!
They wanted me to estimate all the hours I worked for free on all the weekends over the three years that I was there.
If it weren't for the union at that agency this probably would have never come out.
And eventually the well-known agency that did this audit was charged with corruption.

Large organizations do whatever they want, including giving the finger to the legal system.

 

[hillbilly1]

Regarding the FLSA:
I worked for a gov. agency until a boss with OCD drove me out.
After some time I got a notice that this agency was in violation of the FLSA for seven (!) years. And this is a government agency!
They wanted me to estimate all the hours I worked for free on all the weekends over the three years that I was there.
If it weren't for the union at that agency this probably would have never come out.
And eventually the well-known agency that did this audit was charged with corruption.

Large organizations do whatever they want, including giving the finger to the legal system.

The Union let them get away with it for 7 years? You sure were not getting your moneys worth with those dues paid. I thought they were supposed to watch out for you?

 

[BattleCat]

The Union let them get away with it for 7 years? You sure were not getting your moneys worth with those dues paid. I thought they were supposed to watch out for you?

You don't know any of the specifics, but I assume by the tone of your post that you don't really care about that.

 

[kwired]

Wrong. The whole structure starts one off a day behind. Most of the nation runs on a Mon-Fri or Mon-Sun week. If I could see the books, I'm sure they billed that way too. Plus, it puts 2 normal off days, Sat & Sun into the pay week.

They also don't bother to tell you until you've gotten your 1st check & are missing a day's pay from it. They explain it when you inquire about it. As I said, all their printed documents stated a Mon-Fri or Mon-Sun work week. Any reasonable person would think the pay ran the same way. Every other weekly pay business I worked for paid that way. This one co. was the only 1 I ever knew that did this.

Start a job on Mon with normal 8 hour days, 5 days a week. Get your check following week, missing 8 hours. Working 10 hours/50, you get a check for 40. Your Fri pay goes on next week. So you thought you had 10 hours OT? Nope, you may get it next week if you don't happen to miss a day then. I'm sure there is nothing illegal about it but it is lowdown. I call it as I see it. Sometimes labor is sorry & lazy, sometimes management is conniving & manipulating.

Other than not informing you ahead of time that the payroll period starts on Friday, what is wrong with it? If you don't make a habit of taking days off you still get your regular hours every week. In fact, some may see that as an advantage to get a head start to the weekend (if they don't work Sat or Sun) and take off early on Friday's at times, and put in extra hours during the week to make up for it, if that is allowed.

If you are one of those people that likes to take time off for any reason imaginable, you are going to have difficulty even getting any overtime period no matter when the payroll period starts and ends.


How many service businesses invoice regular time separate from overtime to their customers, with exceptions for calls taking place after hours, weekends, or holidays, or maybe if the customer wants more hours put in to get a project done faster - then they may be willing to pay extra to get it done. Otherwise with most contracts the labor is the labor, if the contractor wants or needs to pay his employees overtime in order to help him fulfill his obligations that is the contractors problem not the customers. Sometimes a little overtime for one project is still less cost than hiring more employees to do the same work.

 

[hillbilly1]

You don't know any of the specifics, but I assume by the tone of your post that you don't really care about that.

You Union guys don't let companies get by with anything, I don't see them allowing seven years of free work getting by them, especially up north.

 

[cadpoint]

You don't know any of the specifics, but I assume by the tone of your post that you don't really care about that.

You Union guys don't let companies get by with anything, I don't see them allowing seven years of free work getting by them, especially up north.

I think you both mis-read what GS's position was at the time, I'll assume an engineer!

If a labor board found a fault, everyone that was on-site get's a letter.

 

[BattleCat]

You Union guys

Wow. I am a non-union 1 man shop.

What an assumption. That is pretty much all you have been doing here, making assumptions. I think it's time you apologize.

don't let companies get by with anything, I don't see them allowing seven years of free work getting by them, especially up north.

Again, you are assuming, making assertions. You have no idea when this was reported to the union or how long it took the labor board.

 

[BattleCat]

I think you both mis-read what GS's position was at the time,

I wasn't commenting on GS post at all. I was just showing that hillbilly1 didn't really know anything about what was going on, he was just letting blind hatred lead his way.

 

[jmellc]

Other than not informing you ahead of time that the payroll period starts on Friday, what is wrong with it? If you don't make a habit of taking days off you still get your regular hours every week. In fact, some may see that as an advantage to get a head start to the weekend (if they don't work Sat or Sun) and take off early on Friday's at times, and put in extra hours during the week to make up for it, if that is allowed.

If you are one of those people that likes to take time off for any reason imaginable, you are going to have difficulty even getting any overtime period no matter when the payroll period starts and ends.


How many service businesses invoice regular time separate from overtime to their customers, with exceptions for calls taking place after hours, weekends, or holidays, or maybe if the customer wants more hours put in to get a project done faster - then they may be willing to pay extra to get it done. Otherwise with most contracts the labor is the labor, if the contractor wants or needs to pay his employees overtime in order to help him fulfill his obligations that is the contractors problem not the customers. Sometimes a little overtime for one project is still less cost than hiring more employees to do the same work.

You are not making any valid point here

I took little time off. Medical appointments, urgent business, etc. If working 5 days, 10 hours, it cheats a person of 10 hours overtime his first week. If normal 40 hour week, it cheats him of 8 hours his 1st week. If they move him to a job with shorter hours the next week, he is out of some of his OT. Pay week should run same as business week. Granted, we had lots of guys who laid out a lot. They should have been fired. They were no reason for co. to split the pay week. I even had 1 dispatcher in the office who came to me on Tue, after I had worked a lot of OT on tedious jobs. Said "I know you're beat down, why don't you take Wed & Thurs off, take the family to the beach? I said "nice try, but I need my OT hours and wife can't get off on short notice like that". How many bosses would suggest taking time off mid week for a beach trip?

 

[Gold]

Wrong. The whole structure starts one off a day behind. Most of the nation runs on a Mon-Fri or Mon-Sun week. If I could see the books, I'm sure they billed that way too. Plus, it puts 2 normal off days, Sat & Sun into the pay week.

They also don't bother to tell you until you've gotten your 1st check & are missing a day's pay from it. They explain it when you inquire about it. As I said, all their printed documents stated a Mon-Fri or Mon-Sun work week. Any reasonable person would think the pay ran the same way. Every other weekly pay business I worked for paid that way. This one co. was the only 1 I ever knew that did this.

Start a job on Mon with normal 8 hour days, 5 days a week. Get your check following week, missing 8 hours. Working 10 hours/50, you get a check for 40. Your Fri pay goes on next week. So you thought you had 10 hours OT? Nope, you may get it next week if you don't happen to miss a day then. I'm sure there is nothing illegal about it but it is lowdown. I call it as I see it. Sometimes labor is sorry & lazy, sometimes management is conniving & manipulating.

So whats your point this is totally normal and legal. As far as what they are billing it really isn't your business unless its part of your job to know.

You are not making any valid point here

I took little time off. Medical appointments, urgent business, etc. If working 5 days, 10 hours, it cheats a person of 10 hours overtime his first week. If normal 40 hour week, it cheats him of 8 hours his 1st week. If they move him to a job with shorter hours the next week, he is out of some of his OT. Pay week should run same as business week. Granted, we had lots of guys who laid out a lot. They should have been fired. They were no reason for co. to split the pay week. I even had 1 dispatcher in the office who came to me on Tue, after I had worked a lot of OT on tedious jobs. Said "I know you're beat down, why don't you take Wed & Thurs off, take the family to the beach? I said "nice try, but I need my OT hours and wife can't get off on short notice like that". How many bosses would suggest taking time off mid week for a beach trip?

It isn't cheating you out of anything. I think maybe your angry because its confusing.

 

[readydave8]

Wrong. The whole structure starts one off a day behind. Most of the nation runs on a Mon-Fri or Mon-Sun week. If I could see the books, I'm sure they billed that way too. Plus, it puts 2 normal off days, Sat & Sun into the pay week.

They also don't bother to tell you until you've gotten your 1st check & are missing a day's pay from it. They explain it when you inquire about it. As I said, all their printed documents stated a Mon-Fri or Mon-Sun work week. Any reasonable person would think the pay ran the same way. Every other weekly pay business I worked for paid that way. This one co. was the only 1 I ever knew that did this.

Start a job on Mon with normal 8 hour days, 5 days a week. Get your check following week, missing 8 hours. Working 10 hours/50, you get a check for 40. Your Fri pay goes on next week. So you thought you had 10 hours OT? Nope, you may get it next week if you don't happen to miss a day then. I'm sure there is nothing illegal about it but it is lowdown. I call it as I see it. Sometimes labor is sorry & lazy, sometimes management is conniving & manipulating.

I don't completely understand the issue, 1st check will be 1 day short, after that every check should be normal. So they're paying you every 7 days, but you have to wait an extra week for the 1st day's pay.

 

[hillbilly1]

Wow. I am a non-union 1 man shop..

If you say so...............I noticed how the Union was receptive to the linemen from Alabama during the natural catastrophe. Not all Union membership have the same GFU attitude as the leadership, but those that do tarnishes all members when it's not condemned. I reckon it's just the whiny ones that make good money, then complain if their bosses make good money too that just irks me. For those that are not whiny, I apologize for lumping them in with the others.

 

[kwired]

You are not making any valid point here

I took little time off. Medical appointments, urgent business, etc. If working 5 days, 10 hours, it cheats a person of 10 hours overtime his first week. If normal 40 hour week, it cheats him of 8 hours his 1st week. If they move him to a job with shorter hours the next week, he is out of some of his OT. Pay week should run same as business week. Granted, we had lots of guys who laid out a lot. They should have been fired. They were no reason for co. to split the pay week. I even had 1 dispatcher in the office who came to me on Tue, after I had worked a lot of OT on tedious jobs. Said "I know you're beat down, why don't you take Wed & Thurs off, take the family to the beach? I said "nice try, but I need my OT hours and wife can't get off on short notice like that". How many bosses would suggest taking time off mid week for a beach trip?

Same thing would happen if they had what you call "normal" pay period and your first day was a Tuesday. This is only going to be a problem the first week of your employment. There are also places where they pay 1 week, 2 weeks, or even a month later than the end date of the pay period, people that take a job at those places are usually a little disappointed also when it comes to the first paycheck.

Most employers usually discourage taking time off, but are reasonable about knowing that some personal things are important to employees and let them take time off if necessary. If you take too much time off, they have lost productivity from whatever it is that you do, which is why they hired you in the first place. From a strict business standpoint, employers goals should be to have 40 hours from full time employees, or the scheduled hours from the part time employees, they were hired and scheduled because they were deemed necessary to complete the operations of the business and if you are short on staff you likely will have hardships in doing what was planned.

Maybe your day off meant overtime for the rest of the crew, or for a replacement that otherwise wasn't scheduled to work for some reason because they had to work longer that day to do what you may have done if you had been there.