Plumbing Supplier Salespeople Are Overtime-Eligible, Judge Says

The US Department of Labor is closer to recovering unpaid wages for F.W. Webb Co. workers after a federal judge agreed that they’re not exempt from overtime protections.

The plumbing and HVAC supply wholesaler’s inside sales representatives don’t fall under the Fair Labor Standards Act’s administrative exemption, the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts said. The court also granted the agency summary judgment on a claim for recordkeeping violations.

Webb misclassified the sales representatives as exempt from overtime, failing to maintain records of the workers’ hours, and retaliating by attempting to convince workers not to speak freely ...