Hourly vs Salary?

[ultrarunner]

I, too, have been on both sides of that fence. I've never really had a problem with hourly positions, but I have been burned on the salary side more than once. One job I had averaged about 60 hours a week, sometimes as much as 80. That's a lot of free overtime. The last couple of salaried jobs (including current) have been very good, requiring only a straight 40/week.



This is the part that would worry me most. It gives the impression that they either haven't yet worked out all the details of your new position, or they have and are deliberately withholding certain details.

Confirmed that none of the mechanics of how it will work has been decided...

The printed job requirements are very extensive and very physical... all the boxes checked for heavy lifting for long periods of time is just one.

Maybe you guys know...

One requirement in bold is that I must be available to respond to the Hospital 24/365 days per year unless on approved PTO or approved sick leave.

So let's say I've put in a 40 hour week and I'm sailing with friends on the San Francisco Bay and get the call to come into work ASAP... and the alarm or remedy takes 10 minutes... am I paid for 10 minutes or am I paid from when the call went out?

Another question is who exactly can approve or cause a call out?

One of the HR people said not to take everything verbatim as there will be a phase in for all employees with adjustments.

About a third of the staff have approached me asking for my advice... not a single one was pleased... maybe the other two thirds are pleased?

The discontent is from the top down...

I'm more than willing to commit to fixed hours if it means my time is my time.

As some know Mom had Alzheimers and it is not getting better... being salaried has provided a little flexibility in getting her to appointments... HR said this will be addressed under Family Leave???

 

[ultrarunner]

Keep in mind the new owner is looking for cost savings or they wouldn't be dictating new terms ...

Whatever your status and responsibilities were before, doesn't predict much for your role under this new owner. Can you learn more about your proposed new role by discussing this with the Plant Manager at other hospitals owned by this chain?

Yep... it looks to be all the tasks of before less some administrative plus many new ones...

It could be that I am taking things to literally but when it is there in black and white it is there for a reason... the new owners have a long history of labor strife... something we have never experienced in my 27 year tenure.

Conventional wisdom is agree to everything and should it become unacceptable... leave.

The only plus I see is a 50% match on the first 6% of 403B employee contributions.

 

[California]

50% match on the first 6% of 403B employee contributions.

Big whoop. You put away $23,000 they put in $720.

That's after you are 50 years old. Less if you're younger.

403b annual limit 2017

 

[bigtiller]

Confirmed that none of the mechanics of how it will work has been decided...

The printed job requirements are very extensive and very physical... all the boxes checked for heavy lifting for long periods of time is just one.

Maybe you guys know...

One requirement in bold is that I must be available to respond to the Hospital 24/365 days per year unless on approved PTO or approved sick leave.

So let's say I've put in a 40 hour week and I'm sailing with friends on the San Francisco Bay and get the call to come into work ASAP... and the alarm or remedy takes 10 minutes... am I paid for 10 minutes or am I paid from when the call went out?

Another question is who exactly can approve or cause a call out?

One of the HR people said not to take everything verbatim as there will be a phase in for all employees with adjustments.

About a third of the staff have approached me asking for my advice... not a single one was pleased... maybe the other two thirds are pleased?

The discontent is from the top down...

I'm more than willing to commit to fixed hours if it means my time is my time.

As some know Mom had Alzheimers and it is not getting better... being salaried has provided a little flexibility in getting her to appointments... HR said this will be addressed under Family Leave???

If it were a union job, 10 minutes you would get 4 hours call-in pay. But you would have to work for 4 hours also. Sweep the floor, wash windows, ect.

 

[WoodChuckDad]

Big whoop. You put away $23,000 they put in $720.

That's after you are 50 years old. Less if you're younger.

403b annual limit 2017

If he isn't making more than that, he is barely making more than minimum wage.

 

[WoodChuckDad]

Ultrarunner, here is my thought. You have been there a long time. You are probably emotionally vested in the place, so it's hard to think of leaving. But, you see some things that make you uncomfortable. I don't know what your job market is like, but if other hospitals, and facilities are around, I would put my resume out and start seeing what was available. Make connections....talk to people....you might not like what they have right now, but sometimes people real out for help
That is how I found my current job. I was not looking but a message got passed to me thru a contact I had and they needed someone who can do my job. IT sounds like your job isn't easy to fill, so you probably need to look around and make your name known.

 

[California]

... 50% match on the first 6% of 403B employee contributions.

If he isn't making more than that, he is barely making more than minimum wage.

I'm taking what he said literally, they will match the first 6% of the employee's contribution.

 

[Citydude]

Confirmed that none of the mechanics of how it will work has been decided... The printed job requirements are very extensive and very physical... all the boxes checked for heavy lifting for long periods of time is just one. Maybe you guys know... One requirement in bold is that I must be available to respond to the Hospital 24/365 days per year unless on approved PTO or approved sick leave. So let's say I've put in a 40 hour week and I'm sailing with friends on the San Francisco Bay and get the call to come into work ASAP... and the alarm or remedy takes 10 minutes... am I paid for 10 minutes or am I paid from when the call went out? Another question is who exactly can approve or cause a call out? One of the HR people said not to take everything verbatim as there will be a phase in for all employees with adjustments. About a third of the staff have approached me asking for my advice... not a single one was pleased... maybe the other two thirds are pleased? The discontent is from the top down... I'm more than willing to commit to fixed hours if it means my time is my time. As some know Mom had Alzheimers and it is not getting better... being salaried has provided a little flexibility in getting her to appointments... HR said this will be addressed under Family Leave???

On call 24/365 concerns me. I think there should be more definition on how your compensated for this situation on the job description.

 

[California]

I think WoodChuckDad is right. This will be a whole new world with nothing prior relevant now. Worst case, you agree in writing to do all the same work in 40 hours. Then a new manager promoted from one of their other facilities will write you up when it takes too long to come in from that sailboat on Sunday.

I've had some incredible a***oles rotate through a temporary one year tryout as manager that they didn't succeed at. Worst case was a co-worker's wife bore a seriously defective baby and the co-worker was told that was no excuse to not travel out of town that week. Employee tried to explain the situation, manager told the employee in front of us if the baby is that bad take it back to the hospital and abandon it. (Baby died after a week). That 'manager' was the worst, but we saw a few others that made everyone miserable for a while. Another example two different novice managers didn't anticipate earned vacation time in their planning then went nuts when we used it by year-end, facing 'take it or lose it' rules.

Hopefully what's coming in Oakland is a lot better than worst case, but you mentioned a reputation for 'labor problems' so anything is possible. Maybe scout around a little?

 

[ultrarunner]

This is what I'm trying to pin down...

Clocking in for a twenty minute job on a Sunday afternoon hardly seems worth it if it means ruining family plans.

My friends on call with the city and county hospitals have an extra perk because they can't drink and have to be able to show up in 60 minutes... and typically it is for one weekend a month.

Surgical nurses on call at the big hospital receive on call pay for being available... they loved getting paid while they were home.

I do have a lot of emotional attachment as I was here every step of the way during construction of the "New" facility and my then boss said it's my baby as we opened for business... I know every square inch of the place. We recently added a new MRI and it was nights and weekends for months... demo, excavating, pouring concrete, utility tie-ins... all without disrupting daily operations.

My proudest accomplishment is well over 130,000 surgical procedures and never once did we have to reschedule or cancel a case due to a facility or equipment issue... which is kind of remarkable but probably means nothing to the new owner.

My original Boss gave me a free hand to keep critical stock and supplies on hand and encouraged planning for contingencies... items such as critical motors, pumps, relays, etc and by designing redundant systems so turning a few valves of flipping a few switches keeps the doors open.

The SF Bay Area is a very high cost of living region... pay that are nurses receive is considered on the low side yet many make 100k and I know nurses that work a lot of hours and make double that at other facilities.

A nurse making 100k contributing 6% to the 401k/403B would contribute $6,000 so a 50% match would be 3k