Louis Mossbauer v. United States

The United States appeals from a summary judgment holding that a civilian employee of the Department of the Navy is entitled to overtime pay for time spent in travel between his government-furnished quarters at one end of a federal installation and his job site at another end of the same installation.

Mossbauer works on San Clemente Island, which is entirely under the control of the United States Navy. Once each week, Mossbauer travels at his own expense from his home near Long Beach, California, to that city, and then is flown, at government expense, to Wilson Cove, the administrative headquarters for the island. Mossbauer works at Mt. Thirst, some 14 miles away from Wilson Cove. During the normal work week, he sleeps in the billet furnished by the Navy at Wilson Cove and receives an adequate allowance for meals and incidentals. He uses a government vehicle for travel between Wilson Cove and Mt. Thirst. He returns to the mainland for weekends and holidays. He makes no claim for travel time between his home and the island. He is required to live on the island during the normal work week, but makes no claim that he is entitled to pay for all the time he spends on the…