For the past 80 years, overtime pay has been a standard practice in the workplace. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, employers were required to pay hourly workers at a higher rate for working more than 40 hours in a work week.
The idea was meant to address special circumstances and it is common business practice for supervisors to manage the amount of overtime of their employees. When overtime becomes the rule, rather than the exception, it's a pretty good sign that something is wrong
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.