Overtime compensation rates

crawfod

1. Does everyone agree "overtime hours are compensated at a rate of not less than one and one-half times the established basic rate"? Therefore, if an employer wants to pay 2, 3, 4, or 5 times the rate, that is their choice and there technically is no cap?

2. Our rule is 1.5 times, but we do pay 2.5 times the rate when one of our Secretaries attends City Council meetings after normal hours, runs a tape machine, takes notes, and later types up the minutes. We still apply the 40 hour workweek rules to this extra time. Their job description has this duty defined, and the City even at 2.5 times saves money versus paying an outside person.

I was just wondering if any of you, particularly those of you in public business, pay higher overtime rates for what might be called special cases, not counting double or triple time for Sundays or holidays, which we don't do anyway. Someday someone will walk in and say "it's not fair they get 2.5 times for that type of overtime duty and I only get 1.5 times for my overtime duty. What's the difference?"

Enjoy your weekend. It's sunny in Tennessee.

Don D

I don't work in the public arena any longer; but, it is perfectly legal to pay more than the law requires. You can decide to pay time and a half plus a penny or triple time or quadruple time if you choose to. I'm sure, however, that you have a standard and don't just willy-nilly decide it on the fly, as in the case of paying the girl in the short skirt more to attend an evening meeting than you pay the guy in overalls to attend a meeting at a similar time. That's another pot of oil that I don't figure you want to be wiggling around in.

Hunter1

I'm public sector also, and we do pay double time for holidays, etc, under our labor agreements, but don't pay 'bonus' rates for attendance at council meetings, although sometimes, hazardous duty pay may be in line for attendance at those meetings.

System

Yes to #1.

We're a local government. When a secretary attends a public meeting she is paid the normal OT rate at 1.5 times her hourly rate whether or not she has 40 hours of compensable time in that week. We pay a minimum of 2 hours even if the meeting is adjourned after 1 hour. The only time we pay 2.5 times the hourly rate is for employees who work holidays.

"That's not fair" will come up no matter what plan you design. We pay 2.5 times hourly when an employee is scheduled to work on a holiday, like Police officers. If we call a police officer in on a holiday, they also get 2.5 but they think it's not fair. They believe they should get 3.5 times their hourly rate for being called in.

Don D

When a non-exempt ee here works on a holiday they get double time and a half. The wording in the book is 'time and a half plus holiday pay'. So, that's straight time for the holiday pay and time and a half for working. If they TAKE the holiday, they just get straight time. So, they get that plus extra time and a half for foregoing the bar-b-que.