A federal jury says San Diego police can't get overtime for checking their e-mail.
A nine-person panel ruled Friday that the city doesn't have to pay officers for routine tasks they perform before their shifts officially begin, such as loading equipment into patrol cars or checking their voice- and e-mails.
Eight officers had sued, claiming they were owed back pay and overtime for uncompensated work. But jurors unanimously ruled the tasks didn't meet the federal legal definition of work.
Similar claims are pending for about 1,400 other officers.
But a lawyer for San Diego's police chief says the ruling deals those cases a potentially fatal blow.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
