Judge rules for Harrah's East Chicago

INDIANA – As reported by the Shreveport Times: "Employers who had any doubt about whether salaried workers should be paid overtime have another court interpretation in their favor.

"A federal judge in Indiana last month ruled against 30 former table game supervisors at Harrah's East Chicago, Ind., facility who had sued the casino for overtime pay.

"Heralded by the casino's attorneys as a 'major victory' for the gaming industry, the ruling will likely have broader implications for any business sector that has salaried workers.

"…In the lawsuit against Harrah's, the salaried employees claimed they were required to attend meetings and complete paperwork outside their scheduled shifts and therefore should be entitled to at least time-and-a-half pay for each hour worked beyond 40 hours.

"Attorneys argued the table game supervisors were not administrative positions exempt from overtime because of the limited discretion the employees had in conducting their jobs.

"Federal judge Andrew Rodovich of the Northern District of Indiana sided with Harrah's argument that the workers' principal duties were managerial and supervisory in nature and justly exempt from overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act…"