News Notes: No Overtime For Truckers, Court Says

A group of truckers sought back overtime pay from their employer, Overnite Transportation Co. The truck drivers argued that when the state Legislature passed A.B. 60 in 1999, reinstating daily overtime—following its repeal in 1997—it abolished a previous “motor carrier” exemption from overtime for workers whose hours of service are regulated by the Department of Transportation. But a California Court of Appeal has now ruled that the Legislature intended to maintain the motor carrier exemption that was previously in effect. Thus, Overnite Transportation wasn’t obligated to pay over-time to its truckers.