overtime pay for hourly employees

State of employement and residence is CA. Company policy is that all overtime must be pre-approved or else they will be paid for hours worked at straight time only. Employer (retail business) is not being consistant with company policy. Employees working in store who's sales are high are being paid the unapproved overtime but the employees at the store where the sales are low are not being paid the overtime. I understand the state law supercedes the company policy and that all time worked over 8 hrs per day shall be paid at time and a half. Is this true ? Is the employer discriminating since he is not being consistant with the company Policy and are any laws being violated ? All the employees in question are hourly employees. The employer is making them work 12-14 hrs a day but doesnt want to pay the overtime because his sales are low. The employees have been paid overtime up until now that they are having a cash flow problem.

thanks

As of January 1, 2001, there will be new wage & hour rules in effect in California. Go to http://www.law.com and read up on one of the memos which explains it. Hopefully the rest of this country will soon follow these rules!

thank you for the website. I will go there for information in the new year. Unfortunately the situation I previuosly mentioned occured this week (in 2000.) Anyone out there with advice ?