Hughes v. Gulf Interstate Field Services, Inc.

Welding inspectors for Gulf Interstate Field Services, who served on an Ohio pipeline-construction project in 2013-2014 and were paid on a “day-rate” basis, brought suit under the Fair Labor Standards Act, 29 U.S.C. 207, and the Ohio Minimum Fair Wage Standards Act (OMFWSA), asserting that they were entitled to overtime pay for weeks in which they worked more than 40 hours. The district court held, on summary judgment, that the employees were exempt from the overtime requirements because they qualified as highly compensated employees under the governing regulations. The Sixth Circuit reversed. While the employees concede that they were paid in a manner and at a rate consistent with being exempt, it matters whether their salaries were guaranteed, and in turn, whether a rational trier of fact could have concluded that there was no such guarantee. The employees’ salary was calculated on a daily basis and there is a genuine issue of material fact as to whether they were guaranteed a weekly salary. View "Hughes v. Gulf Interstate Field Services, Inc." on Justia Law