Fisher Phillips Partner Discusses Supreme Court Decision on Wage Laws Governing Offshore Oil Rigs

In the Bloomberg Law article titled “Offshore Oil Rigs Governed by Federal Wage Law, Justices Say,” Seattle Partner Catharine Morisset reviews the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Parker Drilling Mgmt. v. Newton, where the Court held that federal wage and hour law applies to offshore oil rig workers, rather than state laws. Catharine explains that employers should not rely on this case, since it revolves around a specific statute, and that future cases involving a dispute of state and federal laws will follow similar analyses. She says, “It’s narrow but it is an example of issues employers are dealing with surrounding federal or state laws if we see workers more mobile.”

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