The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on Monday in Christopher v. SmithKline Beecham Corp., a case under the Fair Labor Standards Act that could allow for pharmaceutical reps to receive back overtime pay. The particular question in the case is whether pharmaceutical sales representatives have the eligibility to receive overtime pay. The larger issue at hand is the deference owed to the U.S. Department of Labor’s interpretation of that law. The Fair Labor Standards Act and Department of Labor regulations typically require employers to pay 1.5 times an employee’s regular hourly rate of pay for each hour worked over 40 hours per week, unless the employee qualifies for an exemption from rules of overtime.
