Pennsylvania Port Authority Police Department (PAPD) sergeant Edwin Rivera doubled his base salary last year by collecting over-the-top overtime wages. By working hundred of extra hours, the employee is on track to triple his regular $100,000 salary this year, according to The New York Post.

"He's on track to earn more than $280,000 in 2012," said one Pennsylvania official.

This wouldn't be an unusual feat for Rivera, who has consistently outearned his base salary for the past three years by more than $120,000. By the end of May, the sergeant had already racked up 888 hours of overtime, averaging 40 hours extra each week.

Non-exempt workers like Rivera are owed one-and-a-half times their regular pay rate if they work more than 40 hours in a week, according to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). If employers violate this basic employee right by failing to pay them the overages, they could end up facing a class action lawsuit.

While employers cannot refuse to pay for overtime, they can take precautions to reduce the likelihood of workers abusing their payroll policies. Employee handbooks can include provisions outlining when overtime work is appropriate or request that workers seek approval from management. In addition, supervisors can install a payroll processing system that will alert them when an individual is consistently surpassing his or her scheduled hours. 

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