Q Our administration requires us to work more than an eight-hour shift because we are short staffed. Supervisors do not get overtime pay, but we bear the brunt of the extra work. Can the hospital force us to work overtime?
A The question of overtime work and pay has a number of dimensions. The short answer here is no with this caveat: You cannot be forced to work overtime--but the hospital does not have to employ you either. Details of that relationship generally end up being worked out somewhere in between.
Labor laws have been designed to encourage employers to hire additional workers rather than engage current employees in overtime, since overtime is more expensive ...