Overtime pay in California is based on the employee’s “regular rate of pay,” which is not always an employee’s normal hourly wage and must include almost all forms of pay that the employee receives. But how do you calculate the regular rate of pay when an employee receives both an hourly wage and a flat sum bonus – such as an extra $15 for working a weekend shift?
Last week, the California Supreme Court ruled that an employer must calculate the regular rate of pay by dividing the employee’s total compensation by the number of nonovertime hours an employee worked during the pay period, rather than the total number of hours the employee worked, including overtime hours (Alvarado v Dart Container Corporation of California). Read More