Isn't this illegal? (my new job)

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Originally Posted by CityBoyGoneCountry

I'm a welder.

Hey, I don't mind working a 10 hour day. In fact, I prefer it that way because I get a 3 day weekend every week. I'm still only working 40 hours a week, but in 4 days.

But I've always been told you are supposed to get more break time than that. Have motherfuckers gotten so greedy they won't give a man 15 minutes to get off his feet and regain some energy?

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Yep, they've gotten that greedy. You do have a pretty decent deal tho with 3 day weekends BUT, you really are entitled to more then a 30 minute lunch and one 10 minute break. My husband welds (not for a living) and I've tried it and in my opinion, you need more of a break from those flying sparks.
If you work for a small private company, just ask if you can get another break or take an extra stretch once in a while, grab a cold soda or hide in the bathroom and regroup. If you have decent bosses it helps.

Some people would see that as a good thing lol

ermm i dont think its illegal but not 100% sure about the US

anyway at least you got a job :(

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Originally Posted by CityBoyGoneCountry

I'm a welder.

Hey, I don't mind working a 10 hour day. In fact, I prefer it that way because I get a 3 day weekend every week. I'm still only working 40 hours a week, but in 4 days.

But I've always been told you are supposed to get more break time than that. Have motherfuckers gotten so greedy they won't give a man 15 minutes to get off his feet and regain some energy?

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ohh welder... i finaly got to use an oxy accetilin cutter on friday... that was sweet as honey....

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Originally Posted by partyguy420

ohh welder... i finaly got to use an oxy accetilin cutter on friday... that was sweet as honey....

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I've seen a lot of trippy ass avatars on this website, but I think yours wins..I'll be back to visit this thread when I finish smoking :stoned:

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Originally Posted by tootsie roll

My husband welds (not for a living) and I've tried it and in my opinion, you need more of a break from those flying sparks.

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The sparks don't bother me too much anymore. They used to when I was taking welding classes at the college. I caught my shirt on fire about 3 times and ruined more than a few pairs of pants. But I keep myself pretty well covered up. I have insulated cover-alls, leather boots, gloves, and a hood. I still catch a hot one on top of my head once in a while, but they've become a minor nuisance.

The difficulty of my job is the same as many other jobs. I'm always on my feet, I'm kneeling, bending, reaching, lifting. I'm hot. I'm always getting arc flashes from the welders around me. And I'm being pressured to keep a fast and steady pace, while at the same time producing quality welds.

It's hard.

That sounds hard, CityBoy. I applaud you for doing that sort of work and enduring that. I wish you were able to take the breaks you're entitled to, too, for your safety and health. I think I remember reading that U.S. Department of Labor guidelines say pretty much exactly what Tootsie said earlier: Employers are supposed to provide a lunch break of 30 minutes or more--and a 10-minute break additionally for every four hours you work. Those guidelines, if I'm not mistaken, are applicable to employers/businesses of more than a certain size, but I'm not sure what that size is. The thinking is that, say, a small four-man firm couldn't afford always to go by those DoL guidelines and stay afloat.

As is mostly the case in the U.S., employers can really do whatever they want, especially in a so-called Right to Work state (as opposed to a union-stronghold state). There's not really any enforcement of DoL standards. So employers don't really have to fear not giving employees their proper due of break and lunch time. The only danger would be if an employee filed a complaint with the DoL, which is a fairly common occurrence. Employers can sometimes be fined or forced to pay employees for that over-worked past time. Still, an official complaint often ends up getting the complainant fired in the end. Or at least targeted as a troublemaker till he leaves on his own.

The subject of time on and time off interests me, both as a former corporate professional and as a future doctor. I know they're starting to set more limits about on-duty time for interns and residents as a matter of patient safety, and so I'm hoping the 36-hours on-duty-time followed by only 12 or, at the max, 24 hours off will be a thing of the past by the time I get to that point.

Good luck with your job, CityBoy!

I work in maintenance, I weld fabricate ect ect....we are on call all the time sometimes I get a 10 min lunch and that's it for the day, other days I get allot of chill time. It depends on the needs of the plant, normally you should get 30min lunch and 2 15 min breaks but some jobs have special needs.

i used to work 13 hr a day, no breaks only a lunch, well no.. "official" break ;) noo legal but hell, if ya getting paid in cash ur not legal either ;)

i used to work 2 full time jobs...
it worked out so i worked 7 days a week but on 2 of the days i only worked 1 job...and all i did for those 2 months i worked was work and sleep...i didnt even have enough time to spend the fuckin money i was making :o

It's not a small company I work for. In fact, I work for 2 companies. The building I am in has about 50 employees, and we are a division of an even larger company. We build trailers that can sell for up to $30,000 each, and we push out about 10 a day.

It's pure greed that prevents them from giving us a break, not necessity. The boss spends all day sitting in the office counting his money.