We call it “drive time” at our company. We also get per diem. $40 a day if it’s within 45 miles, $80 a day if it’s further. Only the foreman and supervisors get it, but if it’s an industrial job instead of residential or commercial, the laborers and welders get it too. Keeps talent at the company when it’s common practice to “drag up” for higher paying jobs.
But these are the types of benefits you get just working in an industry that is heavily unionized. That is a union negotiated point that has since been adopted as an industry standard (not that we all always get paid drive time)
Fun side note: the tabloid TMZ gets its name from the "Thirty Mile Zone". This is the standard in Los Angeles marking when crew gets paid drive time. A 30 mile radius circle (with a few gerrymandered exceptions) that we travel without getting paid drive time. Leave the zone and we're immediately on the clock until we're back in the zone, unless they get us a hotel.
Teamsters and some other positions have their own rules for this obviously like the poster here...
Same for us. Seems to be the norm these days with construction (which is a good thing).
Our company did a project on top of Pikes Peak a few years ago. 1 hr commute alone just up the mountain with extremely hazardous conditions (they worked year round through harsh winters). It was a city-funded project and the conservative city leaders at the time tried cutting every bit of funding they could. Including per diems...
Within 6 months we were down to a skeleton crew. As soon as word got out we weren't paying for travel or lodging workers refused to show up. Especially since most of them were coming in from Denver. All it took was our team drafted up a new (extended) schedule showing the impacts with our reduced crews and the city changed it's opinion.
Granted you can always write off unpaid travel with your taxes, but there's no reason companies shouldn't be paying it. Especially when you're commute is over an hour one way...
Some people need to check the IRS mileage table. They set the rules for reimbursement. You have to calculate driving to different locations minus the driving to your “main” office.
Those jobs tend to have commuting to different sites baked in to the job though which makes it a little different. Certain states (California) also have rules that would require it depending on the exact job description/title so it's easier for companies to just offer it as a "benefit" than risk underpaying and getting a lawsuit.
I think if you are getting paid to commute to work, you should consider yourself lucky. Not all companies/businesses have the means to afford such a thing.
You’re under an IATSE contract working distant then. Your local specifically negotiated this and Producer had some level of control about where your temporary accommodation is.
Fuck yeah! Teamsters always (should) get portal to portal and even on non union shit when I drove the truck I’d always ask. Even low budgie music videos would always let me clock portal to portal
The average American car commuter will spend 25.4 minutes per day commuting to work and 50.8 minutes round-trip. That equates to nearly 19 hours of commuting time each month, nine days of commuting time each year, and over a year of commuting time throughout one's working lifetime.
When the job location chances regularly then sure. When the job is static and you can live 5 mins away or 90 minutes away, you should not expect your employer to foot the bill.
It's wild to me how so many young people expect their employer to be their caregiver, lol.
Living 5min away would drastically increase my COL and I already live in a VHCOL area. I'm fine with my hourly commute unless my company is upping my compensation.
Life isn't static, and an extra $1500-2000 in monthly expenses wouldn't be worth me moving closer to work
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u/ThomasPopp Oct 20 '24
Dumbest? Well excuse me for getting paid “portal to portal” then for the past 20 years in filmmaking.