March 30, 2009

Federal Times:

News Digest

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission required some employees to work overtime without pay over the last six years, a violation of labor laws an arbitrator ruled last week.

EEOC gave those employees - investigators, mediators and paralegals -compensatory time off, but arbitrator Steven Wolf ruled that EEOC should have allowed most of them to choose between time off and overtime pay. Wolf plans another hearing to determine how much EEOC will have to pay the employees.

Acting EEOC Chairman Stuart Ishimaru promised to review and change overtime policies. "We want to do overtime right," he said in a March 26 release.

The union that filed the grievance in 2006 hailed the decision. The ruling "is vindication that the 'model employer' should not be exploiting the dedication of its hardworking employees," said Gabrielle Martin, president of the National Council of EEOC Locals.

Wolf's decision doesn't cover all employees who worked overtime.