working 24s

Geriexpert

Geriexpert

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i was wondering if companies have screwed over employees as they schedule them for only 24s?
 
Yes.

And companies have screwed over those who only work 8, 10, 12 and 16 hour shifts and every other configuration.

What specifically is your question or concern regarding the 24?
 
I have heard many cut payments because of sleep
but
was looking for a general overview of what to expect
to prepare for
or just be aware of
 
Geriexpert said:
I have heard many cut payments because of sleep
but
was looking for a general overview of what to expect
to prepare for
or just be aware of
Click to expand...

Maybe, but don't get comfortable with the concept of sleeping working for a private, cause it doesn't happen.
 
I work for a county service and do 24s. We get paid for all 24 hours a shift.
 
I worked for a Private company in LA that was mostly 24s (woth some 12s). How much sleep you got was entirely dependent on your area, i.e. my station just outside of Compton was usually running most nights (and stations in Lynwood and Carson were busier) but stations in Palos Verses or Malibu or Clabassas were usually assured a full nights sleep.

They did have a policy (somehow legal under CA's convoluted laws) that if we got an uninterrupted 5 hours of sleep between 11pm and 7am the next morning, we'd only get paid for 22 hrs instead of the full 24.

I also worked for an FD as a single role ambulance operator, and regardless we got paid the full 24 no matter if you ran 1 or 15 calls.
 
I have always stood by and only worked for those who had the following policy: If you are not at home, in bed, free to drink, or do whatever you want...with absolutely no radio, pager or concern over a phone call to activate you...then you will/must be paid for every hour you are on "my job site".
 
I work for a hospital based service and we work 24s as well. We get paid MORE after 7pm. And yes, we get paid for all 24 hours.
 
akflightmedic said:
I have always stood by and only worked for those who had the following policy: If you are not at home, in bed, free to drink, or do whatever you want...with absolutely no radio, pager or concern over a phone call to activate you...then you will/must be paid for every hour you are on "my job site".
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This is my policy also and I will not work for an organization that doesnt agree. Quite simply, if my time is not my own to with as I feel, then I am on the clock and require full compensation at the agreed upon wage.
 
We get paid for the whole 24 however 8hr is considered "sleep time" which does not accrue towards overtime if not on flights. If we do get a call during those sleep hours we get time and a half and if we fly over a couple hours the whole sleep time accrues.
 
I run 24's, paid the full shift if I no hit (Has happened actually) or run all day.
 
hometownmedic5 said:
This is my policy also and I will not work for an organization that doesnt agree. Quite simply, if my time is not my own to with as I feel, then I am on the clock and require full compensation at the agreed upon wage.
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Mine too. If I can't be drinking at work, than you better be paying me my hourly wage.

Although I will say that in the county I live in, the guys who work on 24s on the ambulance get paid less per hour than the guys who work 12s, who make less per hour than the office people who work 8s. Everyone makes the same amount per week, but your hourly rate (including build in OT) is less. So if you pick up an OT shift on a 12 hour truck, and your regularly work on a 24, your OT rate will be based on your 24 hour hourly rate. Suffice it to say, I don't work on an ambulance in the county that I live in (and this was one of the reasons).

As much as I like working 24s (when I get paid for all 24 hours), I will say that they aren't good for busy systems. They can be awesome schedule wise, but after you have been up for 20 straight hours running calls, you will wish you only worked 12s.
 
I am also not a fan of the sleep time variances. One of the reasons I chose my employer is because they switched away from the standard no pay from 11-7 unless you go out and time and a half if out more than 3 hours to paid straight through.

I make a lower hourly wage because of it but in the end It is the highest paying service in our area (by over 10k a year). Like others, if I cant have a beer or sleep in my own bed, then I feel I should be paid.
 
Jim37F said:
They did have a policy (somehow legal under CA's convoluted laws) that if we got an uninterrupted 5 hours of sleep between 11pm and 7am the next morning, we'd only get paid for 22 hrs instead of the full 24.
Click to expand...

Often these kinds of things are passed down, but never properly cited. So, in the sake of education, here it is.

It's actually from the Fair Labors Standards Act, which is a federal law.

The FLSA permits employers to exclude up to 8 hours from work time when shifts are exactly 24 consecutive hours (private sector) or more than 24 hours (public sector), as "sleep time." To permit a sleep time exclusion requires that there be an "agreement" with the employees. An employee who takes a job which has a sleep time exclusion in place will be deemed to have "agreed" to it. There must also be adequate sleeping facilities, and the employees must normally have the opportunity to obtain 5 hours of sleep. The 5 hours need not be consecutive, and if an employee does not have the opportunity to get at least 5 hours of sleep no sleep time exclusion is permitted. Any time during the sleep period when an employee is actually performing work must be counted as work time.
Click to expand...
 
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