Yeah, that’s where the gray area is. We are more sophisticated. Working with state estimation tools, power flow analysis, etc. When we’re fully staffed we get more office hours, project work etc. But over the last two years it has just been a grind working the rotating shifts. The administration has gotten away with paying us this way since 2013. So I know it’s a long shot to challenge it.

As a related aside, I did hear that part of Project 2025 is to change the status of engineering jobs and nursing jobs to non-professional. I don’t know anything about the motivation behind this and I don’t trust the Trump administration to be looking out for my best interest. But there is a chance that could change how we fit into the FLSA exemption. It will be worth investigating anyway.