Today, 139 national organizations and 201 regional, state, and local organizations joined letters urging Members of Congress to support legislation that would require the Labor Department to conduct a detailed economic analysis before making dramatic changes to federal overtime pay requirements. The letters, which were spearheaded by the Partnership to Protect Workplace Opportunity (PPWO), ask members of congress to cosponsor S. 2707/ H.R. 4773, the Protecting Workplace Advancement and Opportunity Act. The legislation would require that the department conduct a comprehensive analysis of the impact on career development and workplace flexibility and on small businesses, nonprofits, and local governments before moving forward with its proposed changes. The letters are supported and co-signed by representatives of nonprofits, institutions of higher education, schools, cities and counties and small and large businesses across the country, all of which are concerned about the unintentional damage DOL’s proposal would cause to workers, employers, and the U.S. economy.

“Labor Department’s proposal would not only result in an estimated cost of $8.4 billion per year, but will reduce opportunity and flexibility for millions of executive, professional, and administrative employees—particularly those at the beginning of their career. Statements by DOL officials suggest the Department plans to ignore the tens of thousands of comments asking it to reconsider the proposal. As a result, Congress must act and force the department to examine more closely the impact of the drastic and immediate increase and consider less harmful alternatives,” said Lisa Horn, a spokeswoman for the Partnership to Protect Workplace Opportunity (PPWO).

Read the full letters here (supporting H.R. 4773 and a letter to the Senate in support of S. 2707).