Wages & Compensation
Overtime in Trades
Hours worked beyond 40 per week (or 8 per day in some states), typically paid at 1.5x to 2x the standard hourly rate for trade workers.
What It Means for Trade Workers
Overtime is a significant income multiplier for skilled tradespeople, especially in construction, industrial maintenance, and utility work. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, non-exempt workers who exceed 40 hours in a workweek must receive overtime pay at 1.5 times their regular rate. Some states, including California, mandate daily overtime for hours worked beyond eight in a single day and double-time for hours beyond twelve. In the skilled trades, overtime is common during peak construction seasons, outage and turnaround work at refineries and power plants, emergency storm restoration for linemen, and projects with tight deadlines. For a journeyman electrician earning $40 per hour, working 10 hours of weekly overtime adds $600 per week, or roughly $31,000 per year in additional gross income. Some trades, particularly ironworkers, boilermakers, and linemen, are known for extended overtime schedules where workers may log 60 to 84 hours per week for months at a time. While the extra income is attractive, extended overtime carries risks including fatigue-related safety hazards and burnout. Union contracts often include overtime provisions that exceed federal minimums, including double-time on Sundays and holidays, premium rates for night shifts, and mandatory rest periods between shifts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Hours worked beyond 40 per week (or 8 per day in some states), typically paid at 1.5x to 2x the standard hourly rate for trade workers.
Overtime is a significant income multiplier for skilled tradespeople, especially in construction, industrial maintenance, and utility work. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, non-exempt workers who exceed 40 hours in a workweek must receive overtime pay at 1.5 times their regular rate. Some states, including California, mandate daily overtime for hours worked beyond eight in a single day and double-time for hours beyond twelve.