Our law firm currently represents oil and gas field workers employed in the oil/gas/natural gas/fracking industry in overtime cases. If you are a former or current oil and gas worker, you may be entitled to unpaid overtime compensation.
Field workers employed by oil and gas companies are often provided with numerous job titles such as Solids Control Technicians, Mud Loggers, Mud Logging Technicians, Service Technicians, Fluid Service Technicians, and Rig Operators. Regardless of the specific job title, however, such oil and gas field workers typically work very long hours and are easily working over 40 hours during a workweek, but are not receiving overtime pay.
In an attempt to avoid paying overtime, oil and gas companies will often pay solids control technicians and other field workers a salary and/or compensate them with a per diem payment for each day spent working in the field. Such pay practices may violate the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”), and applicable state law, by failing to pay oilfield and gas technical workers overtime compensation, i.e. pay for one and one-half times their regular pay rate for all hours worked over 40 in a workweek. Oil and gas workers, such as solids control technicians, typically perform manual labor at assigned oilfield and gas locations, engage in various drilling activities at assigned sites, operate equipment (such as centrifuges, shakers, or other solids control equipment) on rig sites, complete routine paperwork, and perform other miscellaneous work in the shop. Such work does not classify as “exempt” work under the FLSA and state law, and, thus oil and gas workers may be entitled to overtime pay for hours worked over 40 each workweek.
If you worked as an oil and gas worker for an oil and gas company, particularly in the Marcellus Shale region (Pennsylvania) or Utica Shale region (New York), please call our law firm for a completely free and confidential consultation concerning your overtime rights. We will investigate whether you are entitled to unpaid overtime compensation.