5-19, 2016
The Department of Labor released its final overtime regulation today that U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., said could force businesses to shift employees from salaried to hourly positions, reduce full-time hours and pay for employees, and automate jobs rather than create employment opportunities.
The rule, which is set to take effect in December, would double the salary threshold at which businesses are required to pay employees overtime. Enzi said the rule is shortsighted with unintended consequences that will hurt businesses and workers alike.
“This rule is just another example of this Administration’s inability to understand that one-size-fits-all regulations don’t work,” Enzi said. “These changes will impose more federal requirements on employers, especially for low-margin industries like restaurants and retail. It’s going to make it harder for businesses to succeed. When you force businesses into a position where they have to make bad choices, it doesn’t just hurt employers, but also the employees by limiting workplace flexibility and increasing reliance on part-time workers.”
Enzi is a cosponsor of the Protecting Workplace Advancement and Opportunity Act, S. 2707, which would stop the new overtime rule and require any future changes to be based on comprehensive economic analysis of the potential economic impact.
