California Jury Duty = Free Money

[Loyal Teamster]

In California, we can show up to the superior court and set up a date to volunteer for jury duty. My current plan is to volunteer at least once a month, perferably Mondays because its the heaviest day of the week.


"part-time employee shall receive four (4) hours’ pay at his/her straight-time hourly
rate..." NMUPSA.


Thanks,
Loyal Teamster

 

[Indecisi0n]

That's funny. I use to hate jury duty but now that I am paid I look forward to the day off.

 

[cino321]

I love jury duty, it's a shame we can't volunteer over here.

 

[moreluck]

I served twice in CA....the first time was $5 a day........that didn't even pay for my gas to drive to Westminster !!
The 2nd time was $15 a day....................that's quickly eaten up by travel gas and lunch in Newport.(you don't choose the location) The first day isn't paid at all.

 

[The Blackadder]

I got on a murder trial that lasted over 3 weeks in the summer. It was hot and humid, I would leave the trial at 3 and get in 9 holes of golf on the way home and still be home before I would if I was working.

Its not a bad thing.

 

[Returntosender]

You won't get passed the voir dire process.

 

[moreluck]

I try to get off by making comments when asked questions, but they still take me. Next time I get a summons, I'm tossing it in the trash.....what summons?

 

[rod]

I was on jury duty 2 different times---(both winter sessions). I served on a half a dozen cases and was even jury forman once. Here you were in a pool of people who were on call for 3 months. They would call you in and if you met both sides idea of a good juror you were on that case. You had to serve a minimun of 10 days on different cases, be called in to interview for cases 10 times or wait until your 3 month tour was up to be dismissed. I witnesses many people try to get out of it but very few succeded. If they had some excuse why the couldn't serve at that time the judge would tell them that was ok but they were going to be automatically set up to serve at one of the other three sessions. For some reason school teachers were the biggest crybabies when it came to wanting to get out of it. I loved jury duty and even went so far as to tell them at the County Clerks Office that anytime they needed a juror to fill free to call me. All I know is those court roooms were a hell of a lot warmer in January in Minnesota than a UPS truck.

The first session I serverd I recieved 8 hrs a day pay from UPS and $15 bucks a day plus milage from the County. The second time UPS made me turn over the $15 bucks but let me keep the milage ck.

 

[gingerkat]

In California, we can show up to the superior court and set up a date to volunteer for jury duty. My current plan is to volunteer at least once a month, perferably Mondays because its the heaviest day of the week.


"part-time employee shall receive four (4) hours’ pay at his/her straight-time hourly
rate..." NMUPSA.


Thanks,
Loyal Teamster

First, you must receive a summons by the California court system. Second, it's no guarantee you will even get called to serve. Also, depending on what jurisdiction you live in, you will either get a date to show up or be "on call" and have to call in every day of the week on your summons. If you get chosen to serve, you won't get called to serve again for a year. Most of California is on the "one day or one trial system" so they don't burden employers and employees.

Sure, UPS will pay for your wages, but do they pay for parking or meal allowance? Jury duty is not a job, it's your civic duty and to be taken seriously.

 

[542thruNthru]

First, you must receive a summons by the California court system. Second, it's no guarantee you will even get called to serve. Also, depending on what jurisdiction you live in, you will either get a date to show up or be "on call" and have to call in every day of the week on your summons. If you get chosen to serve, you won't get called to serve again for a year. Most of California is on the "one day or one trial system" so they don't burden employers and employees.

Sure, UPS will pay for your wages, but do they pay for parking or meal allowance? Jury duty is not a job, it's your civic duty and to be taken seriously.

Also what he doesn't get is if your work hours are different then the jury hours they wont pay you. I don't know any jury in california that starts before 9am and after 5pm. So good luck getting more then just an hours pay if that.

 

[1BROWNWRENCH]

Fortunately I haven't been called on in several years. I think they got the message and took me off the list. Every time I got called in (in the morning after getting off work at 2:30) they would see me sitting there like a" walker " and send me out. I asked nicely for them to stop it, as if I was not selected I would still have to return to work with 3 hours of sleep. Another 2 times and the notices quit coming. I hate any prospect of jury duty.

 

[Bagels]

Also what he doesn't get is if your work hours are different then the jury hours they wont pay you. I don't know any jury in california that starts before 9am and after 5pm. So good luck getting more then just an hours pay if that.

Per the contract, there will only be a few instances in which you're summoned for jury duty and will have to work. The language is kinda ambiguous for Preload -- here, it's accepted that if you have jury duty on a particular day, you do not have to report to Preload, regardless of timing.

 

['Lord Brown's bidding']

First, you must receive a summons by the California court system. Second, it's no guarantee you will even get called to serve. Also, depending on what jurisdiction you live in, you will either get a date to show up or be "on call" and have to call in every day of the week on your summons. If you get chosen to serve, you won't get called to serve again for a year. Most of California is on the "one day or one trial system" so they don't burden employers and employees.

Sure, UPS will pay for your wages, but do they pay for parking or meal allowance? Jury duty is not a job, it's your civic duty and to be taken seriously.

Kat, UPS doesn't pay him a meal allowance, neither. In addition, there was nothing in his post to suggest he wouldn't take it seriously if picked. Considering how hard it is today to get people to serve, people who volunteer should be commended, whatever their motives.

Oh, and when I served on a jury, once deliberations began we received lunch on the city's dime. One of my fellow jurors recalled a case where they had reached a verdict within 15 mins, but the people wanted their free lunch so they stalled for 2 hrs. Meanwhile, the defendant sat outside sweating.

 

['Lord Brown's bidding']

Also what he doesn't get is if your work hours are different then the jury hours they wont pay you. I don't know any jury in california that starts before 9am and after 5pm. So good luck getting more then just an hours pay if that.

Funny you say this, because I once made the effort to go to work and then serve, because I assumed what you said. When i talked to my boxline supe he expressed surprise that i had come in, and told me of the contract's provision. Because I had shown up, though, i coukdn't go home, or that's what I was told. (something similar happened when i took a vacation week that happened to have a holiday fall during it; the unwritten rule was an employee was allowed, almost expected to take an extra day. Since I showed up however, I had to stay).

 

[gingerkat]

Kat, UPS doesn't pay him a meal allowance, neither. In addition, there was nothing in his post to suggest he wouldn't take it seriously if picked. Considering how hard it is today to get people to serve, people who volunteer should be commended, whatever their motives.

Oh, and when I served on a jury, once deliberations began we received lunch on the city's dime. One of my fellow jurors recalled a case where they had reached a verdict within 15 mins, but the people wanted their free lunch so they stalled for 2 hrs. Meanwhile, the defendant sat outside sweating.

Agreed, it is so difficult to get people, let me correct myself, good people to serve. I served on a murder/insanity trial for approximately 1 1/2 months and I never once tried to get out of it. I got paid nothing but the lovely $15 dollar a day allowance and that was used up for the food and drink. You would not believe the people that tried to get out of it, but the judge was a real ball-buster and allowed almost nothing to get past him. Even if you claimed financial hardship, he kept you accountable and made you do your civic duty. Lots of people claimed "no speaky english", but the Judge fixed that quickly with tricky questions. He was a good judge and I liked his scary tactics.

As much as I enjoyed working on this trial, it was also one of the most difficult things I have ever had to do. The deliberations were the absolute worst part and we almost had a hung jury. I would encourage people to not throw away those summons and get in the experience just once.

 

[oldngray]

Also what he doesn't get is if your work hours are different then the jury hours they wont pay you. I don't know any jury in california that starts before 9am and after 5pm. So good luck getting more then just an hours pay if that.

That was a problem when I worked preload (at midnight). Preloaders would have to work at night and still serve on jury during the day. And if they fell asleep in court it was contempt of court.

 

['Lord Brown's bidding']

Agreed, it is so difficult to get people, let me correct myself, good people to serve. I served on a murder/insanity trial for approximately 1 1/2 months and I never once tried to get out of it. I got paid nothing but the lovely $15 dollar a day allowance and that was used up for the food and drink. You would not believe the people that tried to get out of it, but the judge was a real ball-buster and allowed almost nothing to get past him. Even if you claimed financial hardship, he kept you accountable and made you do your civic duty. Lots of people claimed "no speaky english", but the Judge fixed that quickly with tricky questions. He was a good judge and I liked his scary tactics.

As much as I enjoyed working on this trial, it was also one of the most difficult things I have ever had to do. The deliberations were the absolute worst part and we almost had a hung jury. I would encourage people to not throw away those summons and get in the experience just once.

Considering the seriousness of jury duty, I am surprised a judge would force someone to do something they don't want to. I'd be worried they'd contaminate the process.

Myself, I always look forward to jury duty, because I want to sit on a jury, which i finally did in May (rape of an unconscious victim and associated charges). I wish we could volunteer, or something similar (can envision someone trying to become a "career juror"). My wife, OTOH, HATES jury duty; i wish I'd be allowed to serve in her stead. Instead, i have to hope a mistake is made and I am summoned sooner than the three year hold placed on those who serve for more than three days (I served four).

Became enamored with jury duty after watching "12 Angry Men."

 

[gingerkat]

Considering the seriousness of jury duty, I am surprised a judge would force someone to do something they don't want to. I'd be worried they'd contaminate the process.

Well the Judge explained that if he allowed those that wanted to stay and those that didn't want to, it would be the same pool of jurors over and over.

The trial was everything I thought it would be, except how I would really feel at night. Even though I completed the trial and we came up with a verdict, I did ask to be released before the insanity phase. With that being said, I would absolutely serve again.

 

[brostalss]

Love jury duty. It's like vacation for us. Got on one trial and haven't had to go back in since. Damn it. One driver in or center got Federal Jury Duty. He was out for almost three months. He worked a few days here and there during that time.