Metra overtime a management issue

The article “Metra employees billing OT despite budget woes” appears to be written to sensationalize this issue, a problem caused by the employees. This is a management problem.

All employers are charged with the task of having sufficient employees necessary to perform the work needed, whether the employees are full time, part time or on standby. If the work needed to be done exceeds the available employees, then the present employees are asked, given the opportunity or required to work extra hours.

The employees who work these extra hours expect to be compensated within the limits and requirements of their employment contracts. Employees do not work for free.

Rank-and-file employees typically have very little to no input into the number of extra hours of work that are offered. Rank-and-file employees typically have very little to no input into the budget process that sets aside money to pay for these extra hours.

Again, this is a management problem, not an employee problem.

Also, most overtime work is paid at the straight time rate, not at the 1.5x rate. There are federal guidelines that explicitly state who is eligible to receive the 1.5x rate for the overtime.

Wesley G. Martin

Palatine