When does the day start?

[swinginutters]

My company always says we should be at our first call at 8:00, which means we usually get to the shop by 7:30 or so get our filters, all the work orders for the day. Pick up any special order parts and extra info we may need regaurding that job, turn in our paper work from the day before. refill our nitro tanks, co2 bottles, change out empty refrigerant bottles.

We start getting paid at 8:00, but they want us to get all that done and get to our first call by 8:00 than we are on the clock.

This is the only company I've worked for, Is this the way it is with other companys, or is something wrong with this picture?

Do you guys get paid for all I listed above?

When I question things like this where it looks like simply "we are working for free", I am told to be thankful you have a job.

Don't get me wrong, I am thankful to have a steady job right now but Are we getting takin advantage of just because the economy is bad.

Any thoughts would be apreciated, or if I do need to be put in my place, thats why I'm asking.

[rickl]

You should be on the companies time when you start working at 7:300 at the shop. There are labor laws about this. If you go straight to the job, your time starts at the job site no matter how far away it is.

[cody350]

once i get to the office, i'm on the clock

[fv_tom]

We usually start at the shop at 8 am, and are out the door sometime between 830 and 9. You find a way to work that time into your calls for the day.

Sometimes I am expected to be at a job at 8 am, and have to get filters, etc. at the shop the day before. I work that time into the call the next day.

[Some Dude]

Or get a haircut,pay some bills,take a 2 hr lunch..............

[jpsmith1cm]

You should be on the companies time when you start working at 7:300 at the shop. There are labor laws about this. If you go straight to the job, your time starts at the job site no matter how far away it is.

Bingo. If I am working, I am on the clock.

Working involves anything related to "furtherance of the job". I think I saw that line somewhere and I like it.

Getting gas in the truck. Not paid.

Getting filters for the job. PAID!

Getting breaskfast. Not paid.


Sounds to me as if you should be paid from 7:30. You are doing company work at that time.

[local 832s]

Your getting BONED PERIOD!!! I would punch in at 7:30 and start work. If they say no, then start filling and exchanging your bottles at 8:00.

The company can't (shouldn't) have it BOTH ways.

[Chillpro]

12:00 am is when any day starts and to cut to the chase it ends at 11:59 pm. Usually this is taught in school but with budget cuts and overcrowding they may have cut this out of the budget. As for clocking in it when you start company business tuill you end company business. You could start at your first call then go to the office and get you items then go back see how they like that unproductive time. Get ready for this one, If you carry a company cell phone and you recieve calls concerning company business you will have to be compensated for it. Im looking forward to my 24/7 checks....woo hoo thank you Obama this is change I can handle.............NOT.

[jpsmith1cm]

Get ready for this one, If you carry a company cell phone and you recieve calls concerning company business you will have to be compensated for it. Im looking forward to my 24/7 checks....woo hoo thank you Obama this is change I can handle.............NOT.

Elaborate please. I try to stay up on poly-ticks, but may have missed something. I take many off-hours calls for tech support and other reasons. If I should be getting compensation for this, I'd like to know.

Thanks in advance.

[shaygetz]

We had it pretty much the same as you...7:30 in, loading the trucks, out the door by 8 when the clock starts. Like bad calls in a football game, it balanced out, we'd all meet at Vic's Country Store about 5 miles down the road to pick up the day's cig, drink and snack stash.

[coolestacman]

I dont know where you are from but in Ontario if you are working ie loading truck, picking up parts driving from the shop to the job and so on you are working and should be paid

I think you and your co-workers should be getting together and set things straight

[tinner73]

DO YOU GUYS WORK FOR BWALLEY?

[coolestacman]

nice

[KevinCorr]

No offense to the OP but sometimes there is a question that seems so obvious that I cannot even understand how it is a question.

If you don't want to fight with management you can simply use shaygetz's idea and pay yourself back the time. That is only legitimate if you are honest about it and are not already making unproductive stops at Vic's.
Be aware that the boss will not agree. I know this because he wants 30 min unpaid work from you every day.

As for answering the company phone on your time, that goes both ways. Do you answer personal calls while working? I see people talking on the phone about their own business all the time, and smoking cigarettes when they should be working. You wouldn't believe what goes on in offices between the personal calls and computer time abuse.
If you don't make calls on the boss's time, you don't have to answer phones on your own time. Or pay yourself back with a cigarette break. It all goes around if people are honest.


And Obama has nothing to do with it.

[Chillpro]

And Obama has nothing to do with it.

Where he leads we will follow.............Just like it was Bush's fault, Clintons fault, Reagans fault and so on.

[KevinCorr]

We are talking about employer-employee relations, legal and ethical period.

[Tech Rob]

I feel very lucky to work for a company that does not micromanage my working hours, what I am paid for, and what I am not. For all intents and purposes, whatever goes on my timesheet is what I am paid for.

As far as picking up materials, gassing up the van, bringing it in for service; this is all company business. The only person who will decide when I work without compensation is me.

I keep my phone on as a courtesy to my coworkers and customers. Unless I'm on call, it is not required of me after working hours. Therefore, I wouldn't ask to be paid for something I am not required to do to begin with.

[HVAC9900]

I feel very lucky to work for a company that does not micromanage my working hours, what I am paid for, and what I am not. For all intents and purposes, whatever goes on my timesheet is what I am paid for.

As far as picking up materials, gassing up the van, bringing it in for service; this is all company business. The only person who will decide when I work without compensation is me.

I keep my phone on as a courtesy to my coworkers and customers. Unless I'm on call, it is not required of me after working hours. Therefore, I wouldn't ask to be paid for something I am not required to do to begin with.

Do you have to be so logical? How about saying something that we can argue with?

[cold in alberta]

I feel very lucky to work for a company that does not micromanage my working hours, what I am paid for, and what I am not. For all intents and purposes, whatever goes on my timesheet is what I am paid for.

As far as picking up materials, gassing up the van, bringing it in for service; this is all company business. The only person who will decide when I work without compensation is me.

I keep my phone on as a courtesy to my coworkers and customers. Unless I'm on call, it is not required of me after working hours. Therefore, I wouldn't ask to be paid for something I am not required to do to begin with.

Exactly

[Baja500]

If you do residential and your shop charges lets say 90 bucks for the service call and diagnostic, then you are suposed to be paid for driving to that first job , most companies are just plain crooks they do not want to pay you in the morning for driving to that first job but yes they are charging the customer the 90 bucks regardless, just for you to show up and diagnose what's wrong with the unit.