On Tue, 31 Mar 1998, Bill Mulligan wrote:

> Yes, you always have to watch the legal details, but if the staff in
> question are salaried and not paid by the hour, they can work more than 40
> hours without being paid extra. This may not be nice, but it is legal and
> very common. I suspect most on the list would think of a forty hour week as

Surely you are not suggesting that you can make your secretary work for 50
hours a week and pay him only for 40. If you believe this is legal, I
think you are mistaken. Salaried vs. hourly has nothing to do with it.
The only employees working in museums who are exempt from wages-and-hours
regulations (that require compensation (in time or money) at
time-and-a-half for all hours worked over 40 in a week) are those in 'bona
fide executive, administrative, and professional' positions. For
definitions of these terms and a whole lot more about these regulations,
check the Department of Labor web page
www.dol.gov/dol/asp/public/programs/handbook/minwage.htm
You have to follow a few links to find what you are looking for, but it's
pretty intuitive.
I can't find a regulation on volunteering by non-exempt staff, but I
remember a big problem several years ago after our public TV station had
one of its bi-weekly fund drives. The regular staff 'volunteered' to work
very long hours as a donation to the station. The Department of Labor was
not amused, and, if I remember correctly, assessed a large fine.
Best.

Michaele and David Haynes       [log in to unmask]