Study finds 3.4 million would gain overtime rights under proposed FLSA Rule

The Employment Policy Foundation ^ | 9/09/03 | Mike Chittenden

[olliemb]

A new study released by the Employment Policy Foundation (EPF) found that proposed changes to the Part 541 regulations governing overtime would expand overtime protections to an estimated 3.4 millions workers. The analysis found that no one who currently has a right to overtime under the current regulations will lose that right under the proposed rule.

[olliemb]

The Labor Department is trying to update the old overtime law to increase the number of people who could get overtime pay. However, there has been a concerted effort by the democrats and 6 republicans including Pennsylvania;s ARlen Specter-- (Harken amendment)to prohibit any Labor Department appropriations from being used to implement any new rule that would rescind the old 1920 overtime pay rules. There has been a great debate by politicians, labor leaders and liberal media that an estimated 8 million white collar workers would lose their right to overtime--therefore turning fact into fiction. This is not true. Based on 2002 employment benchmarks, the number of nonexempt employees with a right to overtime will increase by 3.4 million under the Department of Labor proposal.