Why I need to learn how to be a CTB

Monday was memorial day. At the hospital, that means holiday pay, plus bonus PTO. BUT, since people work around the clock, they have to set up some limitations: It starts at midnight Monday, and ends at 11:55. So people working day shift win, and people working night shift mostly get screwed. But, that's mostly fair to everyone. Mostly.

I was scheduled for Sunday and Monday night, so yay me, I was all set up to get the whole 12 hours of holiday pay!

If only.

Sunday night, they were looking for someone to go home by 1 AM, because they were overstaffed. NOBODY wanted to go, obviously. They all wanted their holiday pay. Well, since I knew I would be back the next night, I volunteered. It didn't bother me *that* much, and I'd still be getting a half night of holiday pay, and it really wouldn't mess up my sleep schedule TOO badly, and I'd get to see my husband. So being the nice person I am, I went home so somebody else didn't have to.

So, Monday night, I'm sitting at my computer in my scrubs, just ready to get going to work... And Central Staffing calls and puts me on call, because they go by seniority for holidays (and monday night was considered the "official" holiday by our unit) and all the more seniored people than me (ie, everyone) wanted to work the front half. Well, duh, cos everyone is a greedy bitch at heart and wanted their holiday pay. "Oh, and you're only on call for the front half, you'll have to come in at 1." ARE YOU EFFING KIDDING ME?

Let me explain for a second. Not only does this mean I miss out COMPLETELY on ANY benefit of the holiday by merit of simply not being there. I don't even get call-back pay for coming in at 1. If they put you on call for the night, and then have to call back and say "Actually, we need you, please be here in an hour," you get time and a half for "call back pay." If they put you on call and say "but you'll be coming in at 1," you get NOTHING but SCREWED.

So basically, I missed out on an entire shift this week, without any recompense whatsoever. Not just any shift, a holiday shift. So not only am I screwed out of 12 hours of pay or 12 hours of PTO (which i'll NEED in july), I'm also screwed out of what should be a nice, fat holiday check.

And this is why it never pays to be a nice person.

(As a side note... I did manage to pick up an extra shift on friday night, which brings me up to a WHOLE REGULAR PAYCHECK oh glee. But, now it feels like I'm working 4 days this week, because even though I only worked half on Sunday and Monday, I still WORKED, and it still feels like WORKING Sunday and Monday and Friday and Saturday and Sunday.)