With the recent bad weather and the East coast blizzard, there is a need for nurses to work a lot of overtime. Is mandatory overtime legal?
For your answer to that question, you will have to check with your State Labor Department. Each State has different requirements. For example: in New York there is a State law that protects nurses from being forced to work overtime. [New York State Department of Labor NYS DOL §167] To see if your state has mandatory overtime legislation, check out the American Nurses Association website at http://nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/Policy-Advocacy/State/Legislative-Agenda-Reports/MandatoryOvertime/Mandatory-Overtime-Summary-of-State-Approaches.html
Can nurses be forced to stay at the hospital even if they are not working? Again, this is a question for your Stateâs Department of Labor.
[Read more…]