MONTPELIER, Vt.—A Burlington lawyer says several hundred Vermont state employees could end up being owed back overtime if a lawsuit against the Douglas administration is successful.
Tom Somers' comment follows a ruling by U.S. District Court Judge William Sessions that rejected the state's request that the lawsuit be dismissed.
At issue is overtime pay Somers says employees should have gotten but didn't during the past three years. He says the state had a policy that workers in pay grade 23 and above -- those making more than about $20 per hour -- could be paid straight time -- rather than time and a half -- when they worked more than 40 hours in a week.
He says the suit could end up costing the state more than $1 million.
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