October 25, 2010: Overtime lawsuits are increasing nationwide, particularly in some states where truckers who were at first denied overtime pay may find that their employer has violated the overtime law. Historically, truck drivers are generally ineligible for overtime pay under federal wage and hour law, but not so in New Jersey, and perhaps other states will soon follow its example.
According to the US Labor Department about 115 million employees—86 percent of the workforce—are covered by federal overtime rules and these rules apply to both salaried and hourly workers. The proliferation of wage and hour lawsuits filed on behalf of the traditional working class, including truckers, is staggering: Bloomberg Businessweek recently reported that overtime cases have doubled in the federal courts from 2001 to 2006.
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