nraoaoc@nmt.edu (Daniel Briggs) (09/10/90)
In article <SHAFER.90Sep5111310@skipper.dfrf.nasa.gov> shafer@skipper.dfrf.nasa.gov (Mary Shafer) writes: >So short of funds that we've all gotten the dreaded furlough letter. >NASA is legally required to give us 30 days notice of a furlough and >the letter says it may be as long as 22 days. At this time, >management is predicting that we'll only be in a non-pay status for >one day in October. Non-pay status means that we don't get paid and >we can't come to work, even as volunteers. I'm just curious, Mary, as to why voluntary work is specifically excluded. Is it simply that they want to *completely* close down in the installation, (ie. heaters, janitors, non-gate guards, and so on) and that anyone coming into the work area would be a problem this way, or is there some more obscure reason? -- This is a shared guest account, please send replies to dbriggs@nrao.edu (Internet) Dan Briggs / NRAO / P.O. Box O / Socorro, NM / 87801 (U.S. Snail)
bruce@idsssd.UUCP (Bruce T. Harvey) (09/11/90)
In article <1990Sep10.054830.27039@nmt.edu>, nraoaoc@nmt.edu (Daniel Briggs) writes: > In article <SHAFER.90Sep5111310@skipper.dfrf.nasa.gov> > shafer@skipper.dfrf.nasa.gov (Mary Shafer) writes: > > ... material deleted ... > > Non-pay status means that we don't get paid and > >we can't come to work, even as volunteers. > > I'm just curious, Mary, as to why voluntary work is specifically excluded. > Is it simply that they want to *completely* close down in the installation, > (ie. heaters, janitors, non-gate guards, and so on) ... I'll bet it's for "insurance/liability" reasons. If someone is not being paid to be there, they are not acting in the capacity of an "employee," therefore they must not be authorized to be there and therefore any contractural arrangements regarding hazard/comp/etc pay are null and void in this situation. This would work in BOTH directions. But it's just a guess (;-) ... -- -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Bruce T. Harvey {B-}> | ... cp1!sarin!wb3ffv!idsssd!bruce System Software Dvlpmt | ... idssup!idsssd!bruce -or- ...ctnews!idsssd!bruce (301) 329-1100 -- x312 | In*sight Distribution Systems -Hunt Valley, MD 21031
kidd@halley.UUCP (Dave Kidd) (09/12/90)
> shafer@skipper.dfrf.nasa.gov (Mary Shafer) writes: > Non-pay status means that we don't get paid and we can't come to work, > even as volunteers. I've been told, though it may not apply to government work, that federal legislation mandates that "non-exempt" (under federal fair labor standards act) workers MUST be paid for every hour worked, whether they "volunteer" or not. I guess to avoid an employer mandating such "voluntary" work to get around minimum wage or overtime standards. -- David N. Kidd, Tandem Computers, Austin TX halley!kidd@cs.utexas.edu (512) 244-8820
shafer@skipper.dfrf.nasa.gov (Mary Shafer) (09/12/90)
In article <1990Sep10.054830.27039@nmt.edu> nraoaoc@nmt.edu (Daniel Briggs) writes: In article <SHAFER.90Sep5111310@skipper.dfrf.nasa.gov> shafer@skipper.dfrf.nasa.gov (Mary Shafer) writes: >So short of funds that we've all gotten the dreaded furlough letter. >NASA is legally required to give us 30 days notice of a furlough and >the letter says it may be as long as 22 days. At this time, >management is predicting that we'll only be in a non-pay status for >one day in October. Non-pay status means that we don't get paid and >we can't come to work, even as volunteers. I'm just curious, Mary, as to why voluntary work is specifically excluded. Is it simply that they want to *completely* close down in the installation, (ie. heaters, janitors, non-gate guards, and so on) and that anyone coming into the work area would be a problem this way, or is there some more obscure reason? Shutting down the facility won't save any R&PM money, since janitors, guards, power, etc come out of a different fund. I think that there are two reasons. The first is to protect the troops from demands by management for non-voluntary voluntary work. The second, more minor issue is liability and responsibility. Also, I think there's some brinksmanship going on here. The USDA is saying, for example, that food processing and meat packing plants will have to be shut down due to the lack of inspectors. If the inspectors come trooping in anyway, there'd go that bit of leverage. I personally believe that the whole thing demonstrates a remarkable lack of leadership and courage on the part of Congress and the Administration, but I don't want to be accused of lobbying, so I won't launch into my jeremiad on the topic. -- Mary Shafer shafer@skipper.dfrf.nasa.gov ames!skipper.dfrf.nasa.gov!shafer NASA Ames Dryden Flight Research Facility, Edwards, CA Of course I don't speak for NASA "A MiG at your six is better than no MiG at all"--Unknown US fighter pilot
shafer@skipper.dfrf.nasa.gov (Mary Shafer) (09/12/90)
In article <974@halley.UUCP> kidd@halley.UUCP (Dave Kidd) writes: > shafer@skipper.dfrf.nasa.gov (Mary Shafer) writes: > Non-pay status means that we don't get paid and we can't come to work, > even as volunteers. I've been told, though it may not apply to government work, that federal legislation mandates that "non-exempt" (under federal fair labor standards act) workers MUST be paid for every hour worked, whether they "volunteer" or not. I guess to avoid an employer mandating such "voluntary" work to get around minimum wage or overtime standards. Yes, this applies to government work, although the rule is that they must be compensated, not paid. Thus, they either receive overtime pay or compensatory time off (known as comp time). In addition, even those of us who are exempt receive comp time or pay for extra hours, since the civil service is on an hourly basis. I take comp time, since the regulations on pay make the amount I get for overtime barely more than my regular hourly rate and I'd rather have the time off later. However, the no-voluntary-work-during-the-furlough rule that I was discussing applies to exempt and non-exempt alike. -- Mary Shafer shafer@skipper.dfrf.nasa.gov ames!skipper.dfrf.nasa.gov!shafer NASA Ames Dryden Flight Research Facility, Edwards, CA Of course I don't speak for NASA "A MiG at your six is better than no MiG at all"--Unknown US fighter pilot