HVAC techs. What kind of compensation do you get for being on call?

Organize, Unionize. Talk to the local union reps about forming an HVAC unit at your company. Even answering the phone is a benefit to the company thus you are doing work. For on call or standby time you should draw wages for that time. How much would be subject to contract negotiations. The employer in this case is basically stealing wages from you and your fellow employees. This is a tactic that many employers use and may threaten you with loss of employment but once you have talked together as employees you are protected by federal labor law. Document each meeting carefully and protect those documents by mailing a copy to yourself and keeping it sealed in the envelope. During the first few meetings be very careful about who is in the meeting until you are ready as a group to begin negotiating with your employer. Most Unions have an organizing function. Talk with the local and ask. HVAC covers 2 or 3 different trades so you may need to do some talking with different local of the I B E W or the Pipefitters or possibly Sheetmetal and vent.

'We are not allowed to participate in any personal activity that would prevent us from assisting in problem resolution for workers and guests at the hotel.' I find this statement incredibly uneasy. I cannot see how an employer can tell you what you can and cannot do on your off, personal time. Yes, Im sure there are some employee guidelines and/or a handbook but one thing that a lot of people do is mistakenly assume that a large employer would not do anything illegal by labor law. I work or a Fortune 500 multi billion dollar company and trust me, Ive seen them do plenty of things that are against state labor laws. Since reading the laws are confusing for you, find out where the nearest fair labor board office is and go down there. Have a face to face.

Well, we do the same thing, but we charge the customer double for a "service call & diagnostic" for "after hours". The tech gets paid for time billed + the extra charge for the service call.