Lynwood Moreau, Etc., et al. v. Johnny Klevenhagen, Sheriff, Harris County, Texas, et al. (508 U.S. 22)
U.S. Supreme Court · decided May 3, 1993 · Supreme Court Database (Spaeth)
- Citation
- 508 U.S. 22 · 113 S. Ct. 1905
- Decided
- May 3, 1993
- Term
- October Term 1992
- Vote
- 9–0
- Majority author
- Justice Stevens
- Issue area
- Unions
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome
- Petitioning party lost
- Ideological direction
- Conservative
Opinion excerpt
Justice Stevens delivered the opinion of the Court. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA or Act) generally requires employers to pay their employees for overtime work at a rate of IV2 times the employees’ regular wages. In 1985, Congress amended the FLSA to provide a limited exception to this rule for state and local governmental agencies. Under the Fair Labor Standards Amendments of 1985 (1985 Amendments), public employers may compensate employees who work overtime with extra time off instead of overtime pay in certain circumstances. The question in this case is whether a public employer in a State that prohibits public sector collective bargaining may take advantage of that exception when its employees have designated a union representative. Because the text of the 1985 Amendments provides the framework for our entire analysis, we quote the most relevant portion at the outset. Subsection 7(o)(2)(A) states: “(2) A public agency may provide compensatory time [in lieu of overtime pay] only— “(A) pursuant to— “(i) applicable provisions of a collective bargaining agreement, memorandum of understanding, or any other agreement between the public agency and representatives of such employees; or “(ii) in the case of employees not covered by sub-clause (i), an agreement or understanding arrived at between the employer and employee before the performance of the work----” Petitioners are…
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