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Mandatory overtime: there are no laws covering prohibition of overtime.
Fair labor standards
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The Fair Labor Standards Act protects hourly wage earners from being forced by their employers to work long hours without pay. This legislation, also known as the FLSA, sets minimum wage, overtime pay, equal pay, record-keeping and child labor standards. The FLSA doesn’t restrict the number of hours that an employee may be required to work, but it guarantees hourly employees overtime pay at a rate of at least one-and-a-half times their regular pay. When the law was first established in 1938, it applied only to employees in the private sector. Later amendments to the Act extended its reach to the public sector. Some city employees may be exempt, however. When state and federal labor laws disagree, a city must follow the most liberal law. For example, if statutory law provides greater benefits than the FLSA, then a city must comply with state law. If FLSA benefits are more lenient, then a city must adhere to the FLSA. The list of requirements, exemptions and exceptions of the FLSA is extensive. For further information, contact a labor and employment law professional in your area.
Overtime
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Under the Fair Labor Standards Act of the U.S.Department of Labor, your rights include overtime pay of at least one and one-half times your regular rate for all hours worked over forty in a workweek. The forty hour work week has been adopted by the government as the standard time frame for American workers. All time spent on the job over forty hours in any seven-day period must be compensated, unless the employee is willing to accept compensatory time off in the same period. Some job categories, such as management, are exempt from the overtime regulations. It is important to recognize, however, that the government defines a management job in a strict way. Accordingly, you may be entitled to overtime compensation even though your employer has labeled you as part of management. Generally, the law defines a member of management to be one who spends most working hours managing as opposed to doing the same type of job which other workers under his or her supervision are performing. If you have a specific question about overtime compensation, you can contact the Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor. You can also contact your state's Department of Labor, Bureau of Employment Standards, Wage and Hour Division.
