Overtime hours in the United States are governed by the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1973. This act established the workweek to be 40 hours, and set the rate of overtime pay at one-and-a-half times that of the worker's normal hourly rate. This overtime law does not, however, apply to every worker, and in fact, the act created two classes of workers- those "exempt' from the benefits of the law and those "non-exempt." Those exempt from overtime laws are usually salaried workers or Independent Contractors, and usually have a higher salary or position. They legally can work as many hours as the employer makes them, unless otherwise stated in a contract, without any overtime benefits. Truck drivers and live-in help fall into this category. Nearly half of all working American is not eligible to collect overtime pay.