Sprague v. Governor's Office of Employee Relations

**Court Rules Worker Must Be Paid for Higher-Level Duties** This case involved a Department of Transportation employee named Sprague who was assigned to perform managerial duties that were above his regular job classification for 56 days. When Sprague filed a grievance claiming he should be paid at the higher rate for doing this more advanced work, the state's employee relations office denied his request. The court sided with Sprague and overturned the state's decision. The judges found that when an employee is assigned to perform "substantially greater managerial duties" for an extended period, they must be compensated at the appropriate higher pay rate. The court ordered the case to go back to determine exactly how much back pay Sprague should receive for the 56 days he performed the higher-level work. **Why This Matters for Workers:** This ruling protects employees from being exploited when employers assign them duties above their pay grade. If your boss regularly assigns you responsibilities that belong to a higher-paying position, you may be entitled to additional compensation. The decision establishes that workers cannot be required to perform significantly more advanced duties without proper pay, especially when the assignment lasts for weeks or months.