I started a new job 2 weeks ago, taking a massive pay cut but with more possibility of upward mobility. I'm now making $1 over minimum wage but my boss apparently refuses to pay overtime.
Without getting into details, this job requires my coworkers and I to handle issues immediately as they come in, whether after hours, on weekends, etc. So far, OT hasn't been too overwhelming, but I'm not in the business of working for free (I will begin tracking my exact OT this week for more accurate data). However, I worked marginal OT every day so far including the weekend, as we are required to be on-call and have our work e-mail notifications on our phones 24/7 (though the boss seems not to work much after hours herself).
I haven't approached my boss to talk about this, but my co-workers say that she has refused them overtime thus far, calling them lazy and saying that the work they are doing after hours isn't enough to warrant overtime (I read the email chain myself to confirm this). I must also point out that our boss is the founder of the company and is the only other person who works there, so there is no accountability for her actions. That said, I know the law and it's pretty black-and-white in this case.
Similar companies often include a certain amount of OT automatically paid every week to cover outside work that may pop up. I'm thinking of pitching this to my boss, but being a new employee, I don't want to sour the relationship already (even though I know I'd have a strong case if I was fired). My boss has constantly told stories of the abuse she endured coming up, but seems not to realize that refusing OT is a form of abuse itself. Any tips on how to bring this up without seeming whiny or threatening?