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Overtime Pay Really Over?

Long been an industry standard is that engineers don’t get paid overtime. The assumption is that engineering involves much creativity, which is a key determinant of overtime pay under most labor laws. But this assumption is finally being challenged.

Engineering work these days often involve anything but creativity. Thanks to the tech boom and bust, and the subsequent downsizing, layoffs, and outsourcing, engineers today must also juggle with administrative and sales chores in addition to their design work. Worse, these increased responsibilities only translate into longer hours—often 60 or more a week—but not bigger paychecks. So a few brave souls in the Silicon Valley are finally saying, “Enough! We want overtime pay.”

I must tip my hat to these courageous ones who are filing lawsuits against their employers for inhumane work hours in the cubicle jungle. But let’s face it. Unless the U.S. manufacturers have finally found a solution to revive the sector, or that the government is limiting outsourcing, do you really think employers will bow to the overtime pay demand?

In 2004, Design News found that some engineers had finally got a raise, some even up to 10 percent. We did not ask them about their work hours, however, and I’m sure if you factor it in, the hourly pay of some of these engineers may even be lower than that of the nanny they’ve hired. Perhaps it’s time to rethink overtime pay.

–Wai Li