Would I Be Getting Ripped Off?

[u/Few-Mess189]

Hello ChemE's, I need some advice to anyone willing.

I recently had an interview for a chemical/manufacturing engineer role at an automotive chemical and production plant. My job would be to maintain the line, troubleshoot production errors, and manage the employees who would work directly under me. They said many times that it will involve a lot of responsible with a good amount of stress. I'll leave it there for now.

For context, I will be a recent chemistry graduate with a good amount of lab and leadership experience under my belt. When I interviewed they said that they really saw potential in me, and they also said a lot of my skills could be directly translated to the role. I tested well, nailed the interview, and things seem to be going smoothly.

The only hiccup I still have is salary. $20/hr with full benefits is the starting wage with "room to grow" as they say, whatever that actually means. The cost of living in this area is low ($600-$700 for rent), so this may be a reason. However, when I think of starting engineer jobs I think of at least $23-$25/hr. They told me many times that ChemEs use the job as a springboard for bigger and better things after a year or two.

What do you guys think? Is this appropriate for what you guys have seen, or would I be getting ripped off if I took the job. Would it be appropriate for me to try and wiggle myself up to a higher wage, or are starting wages pretty set in stone? Thank you!

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[u/ChemEGeek2014]

Yeah….you can take the OT, but they might not pay you for it if they class you correctly. If you have a chemistry degree, they can argue that you’re a “professional” and therefore not eligible for OT pay, even if you work OT. Get it in writing that you will be PAID for any and all OT. My husband got screwed like that by his previous company. They argued that since he was an engineer, he was a professional even though he was working an hourly line position. They screwed him out of $50k in overtime in a month before I made him quit.

[u/aalec74 → u/ChemEGeek2014]

Exempt meant you are exempt from OT, which basically means your company can pay you a set salary for the year regardless of the hours you put in. Non exempt means you have to be paid overtime for extra hours, it also means you can be paid less for working less hours. Usually salary=exempt and hourly= non exempt.

Seeing as OP said an hourly wage I'm assuming overtime, but you are right. OP should verify the wage type when looking at a job offer. Getting things in writing is important, just keep in mind it can change at any time due to at will employment in most states. For wages look at the tax documentation you will need to fill out. If they change the wage structure they will need to update the tax documents so that will be a big indicator.

Edit: replaced bureau of labor with department of labor.

[u/ChemEGeek2014 → u/aalec74]

“The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) states that employees employed as "bona fide executive, administrative, PROFESSIONAL and outside sales employees" and "certain computer employees" may be considered exempt from both minimum wage and overtime pay. These are sometimes called "white collar" exemptions.

Being exempt from overtime includes:

Being paid a salary…”

https://www.thebalancemoney.com/exempt-vs-non-exempt-employees-overtime-rules-397359#toc-what-makes-an-employee-exempt-or-non-exempt

[u/aalec74 → u/ChemEGeek2014]

Yeah you're right, my bad.

I was thinking of the multiple criteria that have to be checked to qualify as a professional.

[u/ChemEGeek2014 → u/aalec74]

Unfortunately, a company can classify anyone with post secondary education or certification as professional (and exempt) because the US government didn’t actually define it under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Yet another way for employers to screw people. The position OP is describing would definitely be classified as professional by most companies.

[u/aalec74 → u/ChemEGeek2014]

True but giving him a wage instead of a salary indicates hes allowed overtime.

Professional positions aren't given their salary in $/hr

[u/ChemEGeek2014 → u/aalec74]

Depends on how skeevy the company is. Because I’ve definitely seen a couple engineering roles in $/hr that are actually salary. When in doubt, which should be always, ask for it in writing.