Unfortunately, overtime pay violations are very common, and the oil
and gas drilling industry is no exception. Many oil and gas companies
pay workers under a "day-rate" method, which means employees are paid a
flat amount for each day worked, regardless of how many hours they
worked that day. This method of payment is permitted by law, but
employees still must be paid for any overtime work.
For those with mudlogging jobs (part of an oil field drilling team), it is not uncommon to work over the norm of 40 hours a week, sometimes reaching 100 or more hours in a single week due to mandatory overtime. The national overtime pay laws established by Fair Labor Standards Act (FSLA) prohibit employers in the energy industry from withholding overtime pay from employees if they are (or should be) classified as non-exempt. The FSLA requires that non-exempt employees be paid time and a half for hours worked over 40 hours a week. Oil field workers may be non-exempt, and entitled to overtime compensation, regardless of whether they are paid hourly, on a day rate or a salary. Proper classification is determined by a worker's job duties and responsibilities and the manner in which they are paid.
In 2007, the results of a Labor Department investigation forced a Houston mudlogging company to pay back wages to 233 employees. The Mudlogging Company USA ended up dishing out $1,151,232 simply because the company violated the overtime wage provisions of the FSLA. Between the time period of August 2004 and August 2006, The Mudlogging Company USA paid mudloggers, trainees, and non-exempt unit managers a regular day rate without additional overtime compensation for the hours worked over 40 in a work week. That violation led to the investigation, and the company agreed to pay all wages owed to their workers and to follow overtime pay laws set forth by the FSLA as a result.
While employers are legally obligated to keep accurate and complete time records for all non-exempt employees, in order to protect yourself against overtime pay violations, it's a good idea to keep track of hours worked and maintain records of payroll; then you are covered if an issue ever arises where you believe you are not getting the overtime compensation rightfully owed to you.
Overtime pay laws can be complicated and often vary from state to state, so it's also important to make yourself aware as to what is and is not legal when it comes to getting paid for overtime. If you are a worker in the oil and gas industry, such as a mudlogger, mud pusher, top drive tech, pumper or field engineer, and you feel that your employer is not
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7505716
For those with mudlogging jobs (part of an oil field drilling team), it is not uncommon to work over the norm of 40 hours a week, sometimes reaching 100 or more hours in a single week due to mandatory overtime. The national overtime pay laws established by Fair Labor Standards Act (FSLA) prohibit employers in the energy industry from withholding overtime pay from employees if they are (or should be) classified as non-exempt. The FSLA requires that non-exempt employees be paid time and a half for hours worked over 40 hours a week. Oil field workers may be non-exempt, and entitled to overtime compensation, regardless of whether they are paid hourly, on a day rate or a salary. Proper classification is determined by a worker's job duties and responsibilities and the manner in which they are paid.
In 2007, the results of a Labor Department investigation forced a Houston mudlogging company to pay back wages to 233 employees. The Mudlogging Company USA ended up dishing out $1,151,232 simply because the company violated the overtime wage provisions of the FSLA. Between the time period of August 2004 and August 2006, The Mudlogging Company USA paid mudloggers, trainees, and non-exempt unit managers a regular day rate without additional overtime compensation for the hours worked over 40 in a work week. That violation led to the investigation, and the company agreed to pay all wages owed to their workers and to follow overtime pay laws set forth by the FSLA as a result.
While employers are legally obligated to keep accurate and complete time records for all non-exempt employees, in order to protect yourself against overtime pay violations, it's a good idea to keep track of hours worked and maintain records of payroll; then you are covered if an issue ever arises where you believe you are not getting the overtime compensation rightfully owed to you.
Overtime pay laws can be complicated and often vary from state to state, so it's also important to make yourself aware as to what is and is not legal when it comes to getting paid for overtime. If you are a worker in the oil and gas industry, such as a mudlogger, mud pusher, top drive tech, pumper or field engineer, and you feel that your employer is not
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7505716
No comments:
Post a Comment