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Subject:Re: Exempt status for Tech Writers From:CL T <straylightsghost -at- gmail -dot- com> Date:Wed, 25 Feb 2009 09:50:04 -0700
An interesting point here, and one I've not seen brought to the front.
Utah - a "Right to Work" State. Many Tech Writers here will tell you about
the job requirement of "uncompensated" overtime. It's stated in interviews
"you will be required to work overtime and will not be compensated for it".
Illegal? If it's not, it should be! You can easily get fired if you don't
work for free in this State. Since it's a "RTW" State, they don't have to
give you a reason for dismissal, so a lawsuit is pretty much a waste of
time, money and resources.
Labor laws here don't fully qualify Tech Writers as Exempt, so no luck with
anything other than careful negotiation with your employer, which is 50-50
at best. I've been successful negotiating some type of compensation in most
cases, but it's still a very, very risky proposal.
I'd wager that Utah is not the only State where a "Positive Work Ethic" has
bitten many of us in the butt (the wages here are rather pathetic, unless
you fight hard. That's a different story.)
On Wed, Feb 25, 2009 at 9:10 AM, Suzette Leeming
<suzette -dot- leeming -at- gmail -dot- com>wrote:
> If the overtime is only occasional, and lieu time is given in place of
> overtime, then I have no issue. I have a problem with employers who
> regularly expect uncompensated overtime, or if such overtime is required
> because there simply is too much work for the staffing level. I really care
> about my work, and if I need to stay an hour or so to finish something up,
> or if there's an important deadline (not the result of poor planning on
> management's part), then I definitely commit to the job, and won't
> necessarily expect to be compensated.
>
> Bottom line is I don't like being taken advantage of.
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