"Whatever Happened to Overtime?", a piece written by a Job Creator

[Malthus]

There seem to be a lot more people worrying about employers ripping off employees regarding overtime than people worrying about employees ripping off employers by surfing the internet. 

We can split the difference, and be paid overtime while surfing the 'net, right? 

[Eddie Teach]

There seem to be a lot more people worrying about employers ripping off employees regarding overtime than people worrying about employees ripping off employers by surfing the internet. 

We can split the difference, and be paid overtime while surfing the 'net, right? 

Stop demanding overtime, there are plenty of people willing to surf the net for free.

[dps]

Y'all do realize he's talking only about *salaried* employees, right?

Just to amplify on this a bit for our non-US posters, but basically in the US salaried employees don't get paid OT.  You only get OT if you're paid by the hour.  However, employers can't just put everybody on salary to avoid OT.  Short version, you have to be management to be salaried, and salaried employees have to be paid at least a certain amount per year.  That's where the $23,660 a year figure in the article in the OP comes from.  But that's figure is a bit misleading, because it does only apply to salaried employees.  If you're paid by the hour, it doesn't matter how much you make, you're still subject to overtime requirements. 

And the bit about "threshold for overtime pay—the salary level at which employers are required to pay overtime—has been allowed to erode" is just BS.  Up until about 10 years ago, there was no threshold at all--if you were salaried, you could be paid $10,000 a year and still not be eligible for OT. 

[Tamas]

Americans have been conditioned for over a century to hate all things red even at their own expense, Martim, so tossing around Das Kapital isn't going to work. The fact you are ignorant on that matter is the real novelty.

The best lie of the rich - convincing everybody that inflation is a bad thing.

Inflation, the British cure to everything

Inflation, the best friend of common people's life savings

[Ideologue]

"Common people's life savings." Was the Second World an actual different planet?

[garbon]

Short version, you have to be management to be salaried, and salaried employees have to be paid at least a certain amount per year. 

[Ideologue]

Also the common persons most valuable asset is usually real property, which appreciayes with inflation, whilst the debt used to finance its purchase is diminished.

Most common people don't keep reichsmarks in their mattress.

[Ideologue]

Short version, you have to be management to be salaried, and salaried employees have to be paid at least a certain amount per year. 

Yeah, I got no idea.

[crazy canuck]

Y'all do realize he's talking only about *salaried* employees, right?

Just to amplify on this a bit for our non-US posters, but basically in the US salaried employees don't get paid OT.  You only get OT if you're paid by the hour.  However, employers can't just put everybody on salary to avoid OT.  Short version, you have to be management to be salaried, and salaried employees have to be paid at least a certain amount per year.  That's where the $23,660 a year figure in the article in the OP comes from.  But that's figure is a bit misleading, because it does only apply to salaried employees.  If you're paid by the hour, it doesn't matter how much you make, you're still subject to overtime requirements. 

And the bit about "threshold for overtime pay—the salary level at which employers are required to pay overtime—has been allowed to erode" is just BS.  Up until about 10 years ago, there was no threshold at all--if you were salaried, you could be paid $10,000 a year and still not be eligible for OT.

I dont understand why there is a distinction in the US between salaried and hourly paid workers for the purposes of paying overtime.  I doubt very much that all salaried employees are "management".

[dps]

Short version, you have to be management to be salaried, and salaried employees have to be paid at least a certain amount per year. 

I said it was the short version.  I didn't want to spend time going into all the details.

[crazy canuck]

Short version, you have to be management to be salaried, and salaried employees have to be paid at least a certain amount per year. 

I said it was the short version.  I didn't want to spend time going into all the details.

Well the detail you did give was wrong...

[Baron von Schtinkenbutt]

I dont understand why there is a distinction in the US between salaried and hourly paid workers for the purposes of paying overtime.

What is the difference between salaried and full-time hourly employees then?

[crazy canuck]

I dont understand why there is a distinction in the US between salaried and hourly paid workers for the purposes of paying overtime.

What is the difference between salaried and full-time hourly employees then?

Exactly.  I am not sure what that has to do with a statutory limit on hours worked in a day before overtime is earned.

I understand why certain types of employees should be exempted from overtime requirements.  But disentitlement to overtime simply by the method used to calculate pay seems arbitrary.  To use an example, all our secretarial staff are paid salaries.  But if they work more than the statutory limit on any given day they also earn overtime.  That just seems fair.

[Ideologue]

If only you had some kind of tool available to.you to do research. Some kind of nexus of lexis as it were. :p

[crazy canuck]

If only you had some kind of tool available to.you to do research. Some kind of nexus of lexis as it were. :p

Would that explain to me why Americans have odd distinctions in their law?