Oxford comma helps drivers win dispute about overtime pay

An overtime case that will delight grammar nerds everywhere hinges on the absence of an Oxford comma

Never let it be said that grammar doesn’t matter.

In Maine, the much-disputed Oxford comma has helped a group of dairy drivers in a dispute with a company about overtime pay.

on the one hand I love the #oxfordcomma, on the other hand these sentences truly are SO GOOD http://pic.twitter.com/Gst0OSY0Wo

United States Court of Appeals
For the First Circuit, No. 16-1901 (March 13, 2017), Judge Barron:

The Oxford Comma is important. http://pic.twitter.com/jhdqfbdfvN

The canning, processing, preserving, freezing, drying, marketing, storing, packing for shipment or distribution of:

(1) Agricultural produce;
(2) Meat and fish products; and
(3) Perishable foods.

We conclude that the exemption’s scope is actually not so clear in this regard. And because, under Maine law, ambiguities in the state’s wage and hour laws must be construed liberally in order to accomplish their remedial purpose, we adopt the drivers’ narrower reading of the exemption.

AP style fans, we know you'll appreciate an #APStyleHaiku about Oxford commas. You can write, count and share, too. https://t.co/MX1uyYgs7B

a comma before the final “and” in lists: straightforward ones (he ate ham, eggs and chips) do not need one, but sometimes it can help the reader (he ate cereal, kippers, bacon, eggs, toast and marmalade, and tea).

Sometimes it is essential: compare

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