Section 7(a) of the Act deals with maximum hours and overtime
compensation for employees who are within the general coverage of the
Act and are not specifically exempt from its overtime pay requirements.
It prescribes the maximum weekly hours of work permitted for the
employment of such employees in any workweek without extra compensation
for overtime, and a general overtime rate of pay not less than one and
one-half times the employee's regular rate which the employee must
receive for all hours worked in any workweek in excess of
the applicable maximum hours. The employment by an employer of an
employee in any work subject to the Act in any workweek brings these
provisions into operation. The employer is prohibited from employing the
employee in excess of the prescribed maximum hours in such workweek
without paying him the required extra compensation for the overtime
hours worked at a rate meeting the statutory requirement.
