Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Blackberrys: The Next Frontier in Unpaid Overtime Claims?

Are you constantly sneaking peaks under the table at your Palm or Blackberry when you are out at a restaurant?

Well, perhaps in the future you may be getting paid for doing so.

WSJ Law Blog picks up on what may soon become a hot topic in unpaid overtime claims - the numerous hours spent by Blackberry users outside the office addressing workplace concerns:

The next front in the ever burgeoning field of wage-and-hour litigation? Blackberrys, according to a story in the National Law Journal. Click here for another take on the topic, which ran in the NYLJ last year.

According to the story, litigation could be “just around the corner,” filed by employees who will claim overtime for all the hours they’ve spent typing away on their Blackberrys, cell phones, or other communication devices.

For more discussion, see ABA Journal's Are BlackBerry Overtime Suits Coming? and Workplace Law Prof's Blackberry Overtime Claims?

Overlawyered also tackles this issue: "Require that employees get permission first before using their BlackBerrys after work hours

- Garry J. Wise, Toronto

Visit our Toronto Law Firm website: www.wiselaw.net

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