new ot policy

[<shutter-boy>]

My station is trying desperately to curb OT. Today a new policy came out that barring breaking news, photogs will get our full hour lunch break. If we don't get it, we are too either leave an hour that day or come in an hour late the next day. Everyone is counting pennies i guess. Just curious if any other stations are doing anything similar to this?

[<VIPPhotog>]

I know every station I have worked at has tried this at one time or another. It lasts about 3 weeks. They'll get frustrated looking for you if you leave early, and freak out when they are 5 photogs short every morning. It must get annoying to have reports whining ans sitting around doing nothing after the morning meeting waiting for the shooters to show up. Just be patient and point out the problem when you get questioned about why you left early/came in late. You'll be back to nice OT in a matter of weeks.

[Raiderfan]

We had that happen under our last news director. We missed out on a bunch of stuff, plain and simple. Course our Union Contract says that if we didn't get a lunch break, that the station can not say leave an our early or come in an hour later the next day. So we usually got one to two hours OT a week, but now it's much more with the new ND.

[tdelarm]

I'd check with your local labor board to see what the state labor law guidelines are!

I'd also guess you work at a non-union shop that takes advantage of their employees.

[<Bean Counter>]

Don't worry, we'll take an hour lunch out of you weather you got a formal lunch or not. You see, if you sat arround for 10 minuts or so here or there waiting on your scripts, your reporter to go potty, or what have you, that should add up to an hour a day.

[<maxOT>]

It's very important that you do EXACTLY what they have just told you to do. Don't let them bully you into working for free. If you don't get an hour lunch--you come in an hour late. If they say you need to come in on time tell them you will if they sign off on your ot. And yeah, this won't last long.

[<Bean Soup>]

Yea, well labor laws don't say you get a break but it's two minuets at a time. Maybe we should stop paying you every second your not counting beans. O wait. That doesn't happen. I am sure you never have to sit around waiting for others to get their work done so you can do yours.

[photogguy]

Originally posted by &lt;Bean Counter&gt;:
Don't worry, we'll take an hour lunch out of you weather you got a formal lunch or not. You see, if you sat arround for 10 minuts or so here or there waiting on your scripts, your reporter to go potty, or what have you, that should add up to an hour a day. Sadly, that's how some people think it should work. We had a situation like that where I used to work, with the weekend producer saying sitting in the newsroom waiting for something to happen constituted a lunch. The Saturday dayside photog's dad is a labor attorney, and that attitude ended REAL fast.

If you don't get a lunch, it is up to you to either bend over and take the no lunch and working an hour free or standing up for your self and take the lunch or leave early.

[<Grizzly>]

Originally posted by photogguy:
.....with the weekend producer saying sitting in the newsroom waiting for something to happen constituted a lunch.... ...and that "weekend producer" would quickly see how much creedence I would give their irrelevant opinion.

[<Shooter's Shooter>]

We don't really have an exact policy, but if you missed a lunch and want to leave early you can, as long as you are done with all your stuff for the day and you are not the only photog on duty. Murphy's Law will usually get you on your way out the door, however, with a fire or something. So its usually easier to sit around until your shift ends and get the hour of OT.

I think our policy says that you are expected to be available during your full shift (9 hours). If you still have something to do when your shift ends, like edit a package, you have to stick around and do it. But we do get OT for everything over 8 hours.

[Eric Lian]

I used to work as a medic and we used to sit around for hours, sometimes days and not do a damn thing. Other times we'd be up to our ears for 72 hours straight. Yes, that's 72 hours with no sleep. [Back then it was quite acceptable in the industry. Nowadays, it's a lawsuit waiting to happen.]

If I am required to be at work, or stay close in the area subject to respond by phone, pager, or radio, I am not free to do whatever I want to do. I'm on the company clock and should be paid whether I'm sitting there waiting or not.

If I have a day off, am free to take that 150 mile trip with an overnight stay and waterski in the middle of the lake without the intrusion of a contact device. I'm on my clock and the business owes me nothing.

[Icarus112277]

Originally posted by &lt;Bean Soup&gt;:
Yea, well labor laws don't say you get a break but it's two minuets at a time. Maybe we should stop paying you every second your not counting beans. O wait. That doesn't happen. I am sure you never have to sit around waiting for others to get their work done so you can do yours. People like you are whats wrong with our business.

Personally my company, although it faces budget concerns, has not cut corners.

Most of the time I don't take lunch breaks- but thats my choice. I might run out and grab something and come back (takse about 5 minutes) and eat it while working. But most of my OT work is independent, meaning that I set the schedules. So I'd rather work through and leave an hour earlier.

On the other hand, we had a big stink because they decided they weren't paying for meal penalties at all. So in a situation where I am forced to work through, I just add an extra hour to my day and no one is the wiser. That way there's no argument, and I get paid. Everyones a winner. And the idiot bean counter pay what they're supposed to pay.