Americans spend more time on the job than workers in any other industrialized country. Most who put in more than 40 hours per week are supposed to be paid overtime -- time and a half.
Some labor studies indicate that as many as 30 percent of employees are working off the clock. But complaints filed with the Labor Department are increasing; back pay awards jumped 30 percent last year.
The Bush administration's new rules on overtime will take effect Aug. 23. Proponents say the changes will decrease litigation by closely defining who is eligible for overtime and who isn't.
Critics charge that millions more will loose out, as the fraction of the workforce that's not entitled to overtime pay could climb from 15 percent to as much as 40 percent.
NPR's Kathleen Schalch talks with workers, managers and labor experts.
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