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Takin' Care of Business and Working Paid Overtime

Posted by Zonk on from the i'll-buy-that-for-a-dollar dept.

theodp writes "About 800 CA-based Siebel employees who held the job title 'software engineer' or 'senior software engineer' stand to pocket $27,000 each from the proceeds of Siebel's $27.5 settlement of an overtime dispute. And while IBM's 32,000 techies won't make out quite as well, they'll still divvy up $65M in OT pay that IBM's shelling out to settle a federal class action suit."

4 of 142 comments (clear)

  1. Companies use salary to circumvent labor laws by JPriest · · Score: 5, Interesting

    It is true, after sticking it out working a 75 hour week for 12 months salary in the US, I nearly refuse to even entertain the idea of taking a salary position. I would rather make minimum wage and be paid hourly than ever do that again.

    --
    Saying Java is nice because it works on all OS's is like saying that anal sex is nice because it works on all genders.
    1. Re:Companies use salary to circumvent labor laws by Venner · · Score: 5, Interesting

      >>I don't understand this whole unpaid overtime anyway. If these companies are so bought into capitalism, then they ought to buy more of your labor when they need more.

      Exactly. I always wonder how we've gotten to this point. Henry Ford, who made positively vast amounts of profit at the time, did so not only through efficiency and affordable products (i.e., he sold below even what the market forced him to sell at), but also by *doubling* industry wages for his workers and creating the standard 8-hour-a-day, 5-day-a-week work-week. He wanted loyal, efficient workers, and that's sure one hell of a way to get them.

      --
      A preposition is a terrible thing to end a sentence with.
    2. Re:Companies use salary to circumvent labor laws by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Why did you work 75 hours per week? Were you kept there at gunpoint?

      Companies I've been with have tried shenanigans with me. I just didn't play along. I came at 9, I left at 5, and when the manager whined I ignored him. I didn't get fired because I did a good job, and had they tried they would have had an expensive lawsuit on their hands. I even had the president of the company call me one weekend, and I cut him off in mid-harangue telling him to get back to me on Monday.

      Yet I survived three rounds of layoffs. Obviously they liked me.

      I'm sorry, but if they scammed you into working 75 hours a week through mere words, you're a patsy.

  2. Re:Wow! by tomhath · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The lawyer only took $5Million? That sounds kind of low.