People should be paid for an honest day’s work—it’s the law. And when workers go above and beyond while putting in overtime hours, they have a right to overtime pay if eligible, and employers have a duty to compensate them fairly and according to the law.
Over the past several years, however, hundreds of lawsuits have been filed against oilfield service companies, their subcontractors, and staffing agencies, by workers seeking to recover unpaid overtime wages.
These claims have focused primarily on workers who were paid a day or hourly rate without full overtime—although certain salaried workers will also have valid claims. Claims for unpaid overtime are still being investigated on behalf of these and similar workers throughout the oilfield services industry.
Oilfield and gas technical services workers are often required to work well over 40 hours a week—sometimes even over 100 hours per week—but are many times not paid overtime compensation as required by federal labor laws for this mandatory overtime work.
While the Fair Labor Standards Act does not prohibit energy service companies from requiring their employees to work large amounts of overtime, it does require that they pay overtime to non-exempt hourly, day-rate, and salaried employees who work more than 40 hours per week at a rate equal to one-and-a-half times their regular rate of pay.
Being forced to work long hours can also result in worker fatigue and an increase in serious injuries to oilfield employees, making it all the more important that these workers taking such risks are paid what they rightfully deserve.
If you work in the oil and gas industry and have been underpaid or denied your owed overtime pay, don’t wait to take action. Contact Morgan & Morgan today for a free, no-obligation case evaluation. We may be able to help you fight for the money you are owed.