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onchidiacea

38 karma · joined November 24, 2016

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onchidiacea··on Ask HN: What's your total income?
Linux sysadmin, Australia.

AU$151k (US$111k), 0, 0

onchidiacea··on Judge blocks Obama overtime rule, putting it in jeopardy
I'm a contractor, and prefer to remain so, after a brief stint as a permanent, ten years back, with an employer that just expected its staff to pull all-nighters and weekends with no notice, no overtime pay and no time in lieu.

I prefer to work hourly rates, so that the moment I am asked to work overtime, I can just start charging for it. Unfortunately it's been a long time since I saw a contract here in Australia on anything other than a daily rate - so now, if I ever have to work overtime in a day, then I just make that up by working fewer hours the next. And then if asked to work weekends, then I charge per day for that, too.

I've never accepted the argument that because "professionals" get paid more that we're handing a blank cheque to employers to make us work as long as they like without extra pay. Doing so just reduces our effective hourly rate, in the long term.

TBH, I don't actually know how the law in Australia works regarding this, but it seems that employers can get away with not paying for overtime, if they want.

onchidiacea··on Judge blocks Obama overtime rule, putting it in jeopardy
I don't know how businesses get away without paying overtime. My life is finite. My work hours are finite. If you want more hours out of me, you pay for them.