Sanders Cutting Staffers Hours so He Can Pay Them $15/Hr

[jitter77]

This is pretty amusing.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/be...ay-staffers-15-minimum-wage-prompting-mockery

Democrat presidential candidate Bernie Sanders announced this weekend he will cut staffers' hours so that they can effectively be paid a $15-an-hour minimum wage, prompting mockery from critics who say the move is more evidence that Sanders' plan to raise the national minimum wage is hypocritical and would only lead to less work and more unemployment.

The Washington Post first reported last Thursday that Sanders' field staffers were upset that Sanders championed a $15 minimum wage on the campaign trail, and made headlines for railing against major corporations who pay "starvation wages" -- even as his own employees made "poverty wages."

 

[IndySteel]

Beautiful.

 

[CharlesDavenport]

Looking forward to the debate question framed up by this..

 

[Roy92040]

Gee Bernie I guess money doesn't grow on trees after all.

 

[Supersteeler]

Socialism works wonderfully......in theory.

 

[Ron Burgundy]

Gee Bernie I guess money doesn't grow on trees after all.

Only when you run the government and can print it.

 

[ZonaBurgh]

Socialism works wonderfully......in theory.

As long as it's other peoples money.

 

[Stoney]

Looking forward to the debate question framed up by this..

He won't have to answer for this at the debate. Who will bring it up? They're all on record supporting the same nonsense.

 

[tapeANaspirin2it]

Liberals see this as a win win. They are well aware that raising minimum wage to $15 will cause unemployment. They like that. The worker gets $15 and the unemployed person goes on government assistance. That's a win for them.

And the cherry on top is that the person who gets fired will be taught to hate the evil business that had no choice but to fire them. It will be framed as them being to cheap and evil capitalists to pay them the $15, nevermind it may mean they have to close their business.

 

[deljzc]

The thing with Bernie's workers is that it is a SALARY position. Not hourly.

I think they are paid $36,000/year with benefits. Now, where I come from (and the business world I grew up in), the benefits of salary vs. hourly is you are pretty much guaranteed your money and layoff and slow downs don't effect you. The other side of the coin is there is no "clock". Sometimes you have to work longer hours. Sometimes you can get off early for personal matters.

Note also this was all negotiated BEFORE the campaign. These numbers were all agreed to. They took the job knowing it was salary and there would like be long hours.

His workers are bitching because they are salaried and working longer than 40-hour weeks. This really has nothing to do with hourly wages at all, because these workers AREN'T hourly.

It's just stupid. But of course, that's what you expect from the left and from the media. And a perfect example of why socialism doesn't work. No matter how much government "gives" away, it will never be enough and there will always be another snake oil salesman communist that will promise more.

 

[ark steel]

The thing with Bernie's workers is that it is a SALARY position. Not hourly.

I think they are paid $36,000/year with benefits. Now, where I come from (and the business world I grew up in), the benefits of salary vs. hourly is you are pretty much guaranteed your money and layoff and slow downs don't effect you. The other side of the coin is there is no "clock". Sometimes you have to work longer hours. Sometimes you can get off early for personal matters.

Note also this was all negotiated BEFORE the campaign. These numbers were all agreed to. They took the job knowing it was salary and there would like be long hours.

His workers are bitching because they are salaried and working longer than 40-hour weeks. This really has nothing to do with hourly wages at all, because these workers AREN'T hourly.

It's just stupid. But of course, that's what you expect from the left and from the media. And a perfect example of why socialism doesn't work. No matter how much government "gives" away, it will never be enough and there will always be another snake oil salesman communist that will promise more.

Isn't there some rule that you can't just call someone salary and make them work extra hours. If their "salary" is under a certain amount, you have to consider them hourly and pay overtime?

 

[deljzc]

Isn't there some rule that you can't just call someone salary and make them work extra hours. If their "salary" is under a certain amount, you have to consider them hourly and pay overtime?

I'm sure there are some rules to how many hours you can work, but if that is the complaint, that should be reported that way.

The headline should then be "Sanders' Campaign Workers Complain About Long Work Hours". Story at 10. And not anything at all to do with the ******* $15.00/hour wage.

 

[Spike]

So Bernie wants to save money by cutting their hours after paying them $15 hr?

same reason all those restaurants are closing.

 

[Steeltime]

Isn't there some rule that you can't just call someone salary and make them work extra hours. If their "salary" is under a certain amount, you have to consider them hourly and pay overtime?

Part of what I do for a living, and the answer is yes. The categorization of employees is exempt vs. non-exempt. Non-exempt employees are entitled to the Federal minimum wage, for every hour worked, plus overtime for working more than 8 hours in a day or 40 hours in a week, and double overtime for more than 12 hours in a day or 60 hours in a week.

States have enacted a myriad of additional requirements above and beyond those set forth in the Federal law (under the Fair Labor Standards Act, or "FSLA"). States are allowed to do so without violating the supremacy clause IF the state statute or regulation can be enforced without precluding the objectives of Congress. Courts have found that to mean that if Congress sets forth a penalty for certain actions, a state can generally enact a statute providing a GREATER penalty, so long as Congress has not expressly stated that all issues related to the field - nuclear energy regulations, for example - are the sole province of Congress. (In re Cybernetic Services, Inc. (9th Cir. 2001) 252 F.3d 1039, 1045 [state law is preempted when compliance with both state and federal law is impossible, or if the operation of state law stands as an obstacle to the accomplishment and execution of the full purposes and objectives of Congress].)

Congress has plainly not pre-empted state laws on wages, working hours, or working conditions for all but a few select occupations or locations (armed forces, nuclear energy, Federal employees, work on Federal land). Therefore, states are free to enact laws with greater "protection" of state employees as to working hours, safety rules, wages, overtime, etc.

Finally, the Federal law mandates that an exempt employee fall under one of a myriad of exemptions (professional, hostels, accounting, manufacturing, etc.), and with a minimum weekly salary of $455 per week. That salary is stunningly low, as it works out to a mere $11.38 per hour for a 40-hour week. California, in contrast, mandates that exempt employees be paid AT LEAST 2 1/2 times minimum wage in California. The current Federally-mandated minimum wage is just $7.25 per hour, while California has a minimum wage of $11.00 per hour for employers with 25 or fewer employees, and $12.00 per hour for employers with 26 or more employees. Therefore, California's current minimum salary for exempt employees is $27.50 x 40 = $1,100 per week for small employers and $1,200 per week for larger employers.

 

[jitter77]

Part of what I do for a living, and the answer is yes. The categorization of employees is exempt vs. non-exempt. Non-exempt employees are entitled to the Federal minimum wage, for every hour worked, plus overtime for working more than 8 hours in a day or 40 hours in a week, and double overtime for more than 12 hours in a day or 60 hours in a week.

States have enacted a myriad of additional requirements above and beyond those set forth in the Federal law (under the Fair Labor Standards Act, or "FSLA"). States are allowed to do so without violating the supremacy clause IF the state statute or regulation can be enforced without precluding the objectives of Congress. Courts have found that to mean that if Congress sets forth a penalty for certain actions, a state can generally enact a statute providing a GREATER penalty, so long as Congress has not expressly stated that all issues related to the field - nuclear energy regulations, for example - are the sole province of Congress. (In re Cybernetic Services, Inc. (9th Cir. 2001) 252 F.3d 1039, 1045 [state law is preempted when compliance with both state and federal law is impossible, or if the operation of state law stands as an obstacle to the accomplishment and execution of the full purposes and objectives of Congress].)

Congress has plainly not pre-empted state laws on wages, working hours, or working conditions for all but a few select occupations or locations (armed forces, nuclear energy, Federal employees, work on Federal land). Therefore, states are free to enact laws with greater "protection" of state employees as to working hours, safety rules, wages, overtime, etc.

Finally, the Federal law mandates that an exempt employee fall under one of a myriad of exemptions (professional, hostels, accounting, manufacturing, etc.), and with a minimum weekly salary of $455 per week. That salary is stunningly low, as it works out to a mere $11.38 per hour for a 40-hour week. California, in contrast, mandates that exempt employees be paid AT LEAST 2 1/2 times minimum wage in California. The current Federally-mandated minimum wage is just $7.25 per hour, while California has a minimum wage of $11.00 per hour for employers with 25 or fewer employees, and $12.00 per hour for employers with 26 or more employees. Therefore, California's current minimum salary for exempt employees is $27.50 x 40 = $1,100 per week for small employers and $1,200 per week for larger employers.

I recently changed to non-exempt due to a big pay increase / taking a supervisor position. I am doing about 9 hour days + being on call basically 24/7. Is there a max salary where employers are required to pay you after 8 hours?

 

[Steeltime]

I recently changed to non-exempt due to a big pay increase / taking a supervisor position. I am doing about 9 hour days + being on call basically 24/7. Is there a max salary where employers are required to pay you after 8 hours?

Presuming you actually qualify as exempt under your state's labor laws, and the salary meets the minimum required under both state and Federal law, the answer is no, the employer is NOT required to pay you any more than the agreed salary.

The question on pay, overtime, etc. is almost always predicated on the question of whether or not the employee actually qualifies as exempt.

 

[IndySteel]

Is the Berntard paying for their healthcare too?

 

[Steelworth]

Is the Berntard paying for their healthcare too?

Crossing my fingers that gets mentioned in the debate as well. Oh, the delicious irony.

 

[deljzc]

Is the Berntard paying for their healthcare too?

Actually, according to the news article I read, they are provide health insurance. I'm sure they are paying the weekly charge ($20-$30/week) and I doubt he is offering family coverage but he is providing normal employer/employee coverage. Of course, that's not Medicare for all.....

 

[IndySteel]

 

[tapeANaspirin2it]

It seems the media wants Warren or Harris as the nom and maybe Mayor Pete as the VP to either one. If the wanted Bernie, this never would have gotten out.

Bernie is now pointless. He was a novelty last time. Now that all the Dems have pretty much adopted his socialist views, they’d rather just have a woman than an old white guy.