Kavanaugh, J., dissenting
SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES
No. 21–984
HELIX ENERGY SOLUTIONS GROUP, INC., ET AL., PETITIONERS v. MICHAEL J. HEWITT
ON WRIT OF CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT
[February 22, 2023]
Justice Kavanaugh, with whom Justice Alito joins, dissenting.
Michael Hewitt earned about $200,000 per year as a supervisor for Helix, a firm that provides services on offshore oil rigs. After being fired, Hewitt sued Helix under the Fair Labor Standards Act and sought hundreds of thousands of dollars in retroactive overtime pay. The Court today rules for Hewitt. I respectfully dissent. Unlike the Court, I would hold that Hewitt was a “bona fide executive” for Helix and therefore not entitled to overtime pay.
Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, many American workers are legally entitled to overtime pay when they work more than 40 hours per week. But the Act contains several exceptions, including an exception for employees who work in a “bona fide executive … capacity.” 29 U. S. C. §213(a)(1). To determine whether an employee works in a bona fide executive capacity, the Department of Labor’s implementing regulations look to, among other things, (i) the employee’s duties, (ii) how much the employee is paid, and (iii) how the employee is paid—for example, by salary, wage, commission, or bonus.
Under the regulations, an employee who performs executive duties and earns at least $100,000 per year with a “predetermined” weekly salary of at least $455 for any week that he works is a bona fide executive and not entitled
