Labor Law -- 2019



Parker Drilling Management Services v. Newton   (U.S. Supreme Court)

Employment liability on the outer continental shelf

The NAM filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn an appellate court ruling that workers on offshore drilling platforms may bring state-law labor and employment claims. An employee located on an offshore drilling platform in federal waters on the Outer Continental Shelf sued his employer—an offshore drilling services company—alleging the employer failed to pay the employee for his non-working “standby” time on the platform. The employee argued that California’s labor laws entitled him to payment for the standby time. The drilling company countered that federal labor laws applied because the platform is located on the Outer Continental shelf. A district court ruled that federal law applies, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit reversed. The drilling company petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court for review. The NAM filed an amicus brief in support of review. The Court granted review, and on June 10, 2019, concluded that federal labor law applies because the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act broadly preempts state labor and employment laws. This decision restores certainty for offshore platform owners and operators and removes the specter of hundreds of millions of dollars in unwarranted wage-and-hour liability.


Related Documents:
NAM brief  (February 27, 2019)
NAM brief  (October 26, 2018)