Overtime

Overtime Pay

When any non-exempt employee works more than 40 hours throughout the seven-day period. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FSLA), states that one must be paid overtime and this applies only to hours work more than 40 + per week, not hours worked in an 8 + day period. Hence, this means that an employer is allowed to make an employee work 40 hours in a row without having to pay the employee overtime, as long as the employee does not work more than 40 hours that same week.                                                     

How Much Is Overtime?

In addition to Oklahoma overtime laws, the overtime wages must be one and half times the worker’s original hourly rate of pay and nothing less. Therefore, Oklahoma’s overtime wage is $10.88 per hour, also known as one and a half times the regular Oklahoma minimum wage of $7.25. There is also something known as a benefit which is sometimes given for the holiday, weekend, or extended overtime hours depending on companies, but this is true especially for union contracts or employee agreements. This is not required by any means necessary under the Oklahoma overtime laws.

Violations of Oklahoma Overtime Laws

Some states allow for compensatory time after over-time is worked. However, it is a violation of Oklahoma overtime laws for an employer to avoid overtime by giving their employee “comp time.” Compensatory time is allowed for public sector workers only. If an employer attempting to give “comp time” to avoid overtime, they may be sued for back wages. It is also in violation of Oklahoma’s employer to average hours worked over multiple weeks causing them to avoid paying overtime to their employees.