CA Legislature Torpedoes IT Overtime

An anonymous reader writes to mention that a recent piece of California legislation is enabling tech firms to avoid paying their workers overtime. Originally designed to deal with bonds for children's hospitals, bill AB10 was completely rewritten to prevent lawsuit damages over overtime nonpayment. "'This is the first time that the Legislature has done a takeaway of the rights of private-sector workers as part of the budget deal,' said Caitlin Vega of the California Labor Federation. 'We just think it is wrong. We think it will really hurt the groups of workers who will be expected to work through the weekend and not get paid.'"

Comments

Re:It's time to start a union how long before more

[Blakey Rat]

I'm a Java developer and DBA, and since I work for the government,

Which government? Which level? I used to work for a county hospital, and it sucked bad. That's my main experience of government work. Well, that, and going into a DMV and seeing how depressed everybody looks.

I get paid around 70K for a strict 9 to 5, monday through friday job, with NO OVERTIME REQUIRED,

Ok, I got that.

incredibly good health, dental, and vision plans,

I got that.

almost four weeks vacation per year,

Alas, I only have three.

PLUS five personal days,

Two personal days, plus three "company days" (normal work days the company gives us off). So I got that.

PLUS 2 1/2 weeks of sick leave,

We don't have a limit on our sick leave, as long as you make arrangements.

PLUS education benefits.

Got that. Also psych benefits. And quarterly expensive team activities (we did a seaplane tour last time, a cruise most recently), weekly "tiki bar" fridays, monthly happy hours, plus tons of ad-hoc celebrations for no reason at all. And cab vouchers, if you drink a bit too much.

And the agency buys me all my books. If I need software to get my work done, I ask my boss, and I get it, usually within a day.

Check and check.

my current project is a 31KLOC Java desktop application involving data processing and calculations.

Wow, data processing and calculations? (I think "data processing and calculations" describes every computer program ever written in history.)

I will say this:
1) You have a better cube than I do.
2) It sounds like you have a great job and enjoy where you work, but!:
3) I doubt many, if any, of the benefits you describe above are yours due to your union membership,
4) You didn't mention the amount of union dues you pay
5) You have a vastly, vastly, vastly, better job than 99.9% of government employees. You're literally the first government IT employee I've ever talked to or heard of who prefers that work to private sector work.

I am assuming you're talking about some US government, here, and I'm guessing Federal level? I have no idea what other nations' governments are like.

Re:It's time to start a union how long before more

[Uberbah]

I'm making more money and working at a vastly cooler company than ANY unionized employee could possibly be.

Really, you made more money last year than Alex Rodriguez? Who's IN A UNION and made over $27 MILLION last year?