Firm Prefers Overtime to Hiring Workers : Economy: Tool-and-die maker would rather pay for more hours than add to its work force. Employees like the extra money but say longer days take a toll.

Working at Brinkman Tool & Die Inc. these days means plenty to do and lots of hours. That is, for those who already have a job there. The heavy workload isn’t shortening unemployment lines.

The company chooses to have its 40 employees work overtime instead of hiring new workers. The practice long has been a fact of life in the tool-and-die industry and seems to be taking root in other industries.

“If we can get by with what we have without working a ridiculous number of hours . . . we’ll work the current people more hours rather than hire new people,” said Chuck Brinkman, president.

Brinkman Tool & Die, which produces molds and dies that are used to make such items as jet engines and washing machines, operates two shifts. The crew has been working 50 hours a week recently, and 60-hour workweeks aren’t uncommon.

For employees, the overtime is a mixed blessing.

Ed Clements, 44, who has been with the company eight years, said he appreciates it.

“You lose a lot of a family relationship because of it, but that’s where the toolmaker actually makes his money,” Clements said.

He said life would be tougher without the overtime because wages of tool-and-die workers haven’t kept pace with those of other professions in recent years.

“We would survive, but it would be right on the bare necessities,” he said.

Brinkman said most of the company’s employees are experienced and make the top salary of about $31,000 a year. Overtime pushes their salaries to about $43,000 a year.

There’s a limit to how much overtime Jim Lively wants to work. The extra hours chew up time he could spend with his family, said Lively, 30.

“Fifty hours is fine, but when you start working 60 and stuff like that you have no time at all,” Lively said. “Your bankbook keeps getting bigger and bigger but you don’t spend any time at all with your family.