Today, the Partnership to Protect Workplace Opportunity submitted PPWO Comments on behalf of 133 organizations to the U.S. Department of Labor in response to recently proposed regulations dramatically changing the criteria for executive, administrative, professional, outside sales, and computer employee exemptions to the federal overtime pay requirements.
The Partnership is extremely concerned that the Administration’s proposal to increase the minimum salary level by over 100 percent will force employers to reclassify millions of salaried employees in managerial and other traditional white collar positions to hourly jobs, leading to fewer opportunities for workplace flexibility and career advancement and diminished employee morale. Furthermore, the Partnership expressed concern that the proposal to automatically index the salary level creates enormous uncertainty for employers and fails to account for changes in economic conditions in the future.
The Partnership, alongside over 600 employers large and small, members of Congress and the Small Business Administration requested an extension to the comment period to allow a greater number of employers and employees to weigh in on this proposal. The Department unfortunately ignored the requests for an extension. The Department’s minimal comment period limits debate and public feedback on this important issue and contrasts sharply with previous updates to the overtime regulations in 2004.
Many members of the Partnership also met with the Secretary of Labor at the outset of the process to express concerns with possible approaches the Department might take. The proposed regulation shows no indication that the Department listened during those meetings.
The PPWO consists of a diverse group of associations, businesses, non-profits and other stakeholders representing employers with millions of “white-collar” employees, across the country in almost every industry who will be affected by the proposed changes. The PPWO’s members believe that employees and employers alike are best served with a system that promotes maximum flexibility in structuring employee hours, career advancement opportunities for employees, and clarity for employers when classifying employees.
For more information: www.protectingopportunity.org