Cemex (huge Mexican cement company) will pay back overtime

The Houston Chronicle ^ | 31 December 2010 | Jenalia Moreno

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

Cemex (stock symbol CX on NYSE) agreed to pay $1.5 million in overtime back wages to 1,705 current and former ready-mix drivers in eight states, including Texas, the U.S. Department of Labor said Thursday.

The department began an investigation in Tampa, Fla., where it found drivers paid by the truck load were not compensated for overtime between Sept. 11, 2006, and Sept. 11, 2008.

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

We let all of these foreign companies come over here and operate. Then, they operate like they do in their native countries by mistreating workers. So many immigrants are allowed here (even legally) and they too bring their twisted values with them. This is exactly what is ruining the United States. Greed = self-destruction.

[cripplecreek]

American trucking companies don’t pay OTR drivers overtime.

[1rudeboy]

That’s a nice knee-jerk reaction, there.

[SharpRightTurn]

“We let all of these foreign companies come over here and operate. Then, they operate like they do in their native countries by mistreating workers. So many immigrants are allowed here (even legally) and they too bring their twisted values with them. This is exactly what is ruining the United States.”

BUMP

[RangerM]

Not sure how this works, but there is a motor carrier overtime exemption under the FLSA.

Even though these drivers probably don’t cross state lines, I’d think the company (itself) does, so it would seem to apply here.

http://www.wageandhourcounsel.com/uploads/file/whdfs19%5B1%5D_pdf%20Motor%20Carrier%20Exemption(1).pdf

[Popman]

American trucking companies don’t pay OTR drivers overtime.

These are not OTR drivers. They were making local deliveries.

What Cemex did not do was pay them what is referred to as "Chinese overtime". You must compensate piece meal work by paying any hours over 40 per week

You work 60 hours make $600.00 doing it. You must be paid 50 % of your average wage that week times the numbers of hours overtime.

$600.00 / 60 hours = $10.00 / 2 = $5.00 x 20 hours = $100.00 in overtime pay.

[Popman]

We let all of these foreign companies come over here and operate. Then, they operate like they do in their native countries by mistreating workers.

Not defending Cemex at all, but the labor laws can get very complicated and if you are paying workers by the load it depends on what type of worker they are.

I worked in an industry where we paid drivers to delivery by the load or by piecemeal and it depended on in what classification they were hired in. It's real easy to misinterpret the laws

Plus as the article points out the workers were compensated

We have many international companies owning and running formerly "American" companies and operate by the US labor laws.

[cripplecreek]

Seems odd that OTR drivers make a far greater sacrifice yet don’t get compensated for it in the same way local drivers do.

Obviously paying an OTR driver for total hours away from home is cost prohibitive but when you look at it as in the truck hours, its surprisingly low pay. After all, we’re talking about weeks away from home.

I liked the way we were paid at my last factory job. Anything over 8 hours was overtime regaurdless of total hours worked per week. Saturdays were the same. Sundays was double time but only after 40 hours.

[Popman]

If you are part of a trucking firm, OTR drivers typically are paid by the mile and limited to # of hours on the road.

Independent truckers typically are paid by the load and must log hours (that's why they carry dual books) They would go broke living by the federal guidelines for driving hours

In times past a independent trucker could make some serious money (six figures), but not anymore. With fuel though the roof and interstate commerce basically down, it's very, very competitive now. The only truckers making money are the ones who own their trucks outright.