Opinion ID: 2628014
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: relevant facts and provisions of law

Text: ¶ 2 For 10 years Food Express, Inc. employed Larie Bostain as an interstate truck driver, driving in the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and California. Majority at 849. Food Express informed Bostain from the beginning of his employment that he would not be entitled to overtime, and Food Express never paid Bostain any overtime wages. Majority at 849. ¶ 3 Years later, having been fired by Food Express for other reasons, Bostain now claims that he is entitled to overtime wages pursuant to RCW 49.46.130(1). Majority at 849. However, our statute, RCW 49.46.130(1), requires overtime only for workers who work over 40 hours per week within the state of Washington. Because the majority reaches a different result, applying Washington law to hours worked in Oregon, Idaho, and California, I dissent. ¶ 4 The statute at issue is RCW 49.46.130, titled Minimum rate of compensation for employment in excess of forty hour work week  Exceptions. RCW 49.46.130(1) provides that employees who work more than 40 hours per week are entitled to overtime unless a listed exception applies (see full text, infra ). Neither this court nor the Court of Appeals has addressed whether RCW 49.46.130(1) requires overtime only where employees have worked more than 40 hours per week within the state of Washington. Two earlier cases considering the statute are not dispositive of this issue. Majority at 854-55. Dep't of Labor & Indus. v. Common Carriers, Inc., 111 Wash.2d 586, 762 P.2d 348 (1988); Dep't of Labor & Indus. v. Overnite Transp. Co., 67 Wash.App. 24, 834 P.2d 638 (1992), review denied, 120 Wash.2d 1030, 847 P.2d 481 (1993). ¶ 5 RCW 49.46.130(1) does not explicitly address whether the hours relevant to the determination of overtime compensation are limited to hours worked within the state of Washington. Rather, as evidenced by the conflicting decisions below, RCW 49.46.130(1) is subject to more than one reasonable interpretation on this point. Given this ambiguity, Food Express correctly argues that other sections of the statute and relevant administrative rules may be used to interpret RCW 49.46.130(1). [1] Viewed together, these provisions compel the conclusion that employees must be paid overtime under RCW 49.46.130(1) based only on hours worked within the state of Washington.