4 million lose overtime pay and Republicans rejoice the ‘victory’ for small business

[GennGreymane]

4.2 million Americans lose overtime pay and Republicans rejoice the ‘victory’ for small businesses
(title altered to fit)

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/wo...-a7433096.html

Republicans are jubilant after a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction to president Obama’s overtime pay rule, dashing hopes for millions of Americans who would have benefitted from being paid overtime.

The most significant intervention from the president on wages - set to start 1 December - is now in jeopardy, after he failed to persuade congress to raise the minimum wage from $7.25 per hour.

The extra pay would have aided 4.2 million Americans - many of whom would have voted for Donald Trump - as it doubled the threshold of eligibility for overtime pay for people who earn an annual salary to $47,476 and work more than 40 hours per week.

Barack Obama expands overtime pay to millions of US workers
The judge, Amos Mazzant, an Obama appointee in eastern Texas, cited the $295 billion bill, the lack of worker flexibility and red tape as reasons to halt the measure. The halting is temporary, but he has signaled that he will take the view with 21 state attorneys general and a small business association which sued to block the new law.

The US chamber of commerce said it was a victory for small businesses who had been stifled by red tape.

Although Mr Trump wooed middle class voters with the promise of jobs and bringing back manufacturing, he also said he would fight for small businesses and red tape.

The request to block the rule came from Leslie Rutledge, the Republican attorney general of Arkansas, who met with the Trump transition team last week.

Senator Ted Cruz, whose net worth is more than $3 million, said the move was “great news for job creators across America”. The measure would have provided overtime pay to 1.2 million Texans.

Arizona senator John McCain said the block was also good news as it stopped small businesses being forced to comply with "onerous federal legislation". Over 250,000 people in Arizona will be stripped of extra pay.

House speaker Paul Ryan said the measure would have been a “disaster that would hurt the very people it claims to help”.

Igor Volsky, deputy director of the Center for American Progress Action Fund, said Mr Ryan’s net worth was over $500,000.

“He’s cheering that 187,000 Wisconsinites earning less than $47,476 won’t get paid for working overtime,” he wrote on twitter.

[Vash The Stampede]

Remember, businesses are people too.

[Snorkles]

How would someone end up getting hurt by being paid for overtime?

[Azadina]

Already nearly non-existant worker rights get reduced further, and people are celebrating? The government should offer people free mental health checks. There seems to be rampant issues with it.

[GennGreymane]

How would someone end up getting hurt by being paid for overtime?

Well many of these states have very low minimum wage. Its hard to say other than its essentially a subsidy for businesses thats are not performing well.

[D3thray]

Note this is for salaried individuals, not hourly

[Mistame]

The "hurts small businesses" bit is nonsense, as most small business pay hourly, not salary. This is just corporate pandering to businesses like McDonald's, etc, whose management staff make absurdly low salaries. I honestly think they should restrict salaries to people who earn above 50k.

[Caolela]

This is a continuation of the assault on worker's pay by Repubs to transfer wealth to corporate owners, began under Bush in 2004 when they changed the overtime laws to exempt millions of workers from overtime pay.

I personally know someone who as a white-collar worker lost about $800./mo. in pay after the Bush theft, while still working the same job, same hours. Similar for her co-workers. Poof...gone right off the top and retained by the owners of the company. To this day it hasn't in any way "created more jobs" at the employer. The owners though enjoy an even more lavish lifestyle.

This is yet another perfect example of what is meant by average Americans voting against their own best interests, but they stupidity voted for Trump and the Repubs anyway. What the hell did they think they were going to get? Not that Clinton would have been much better, but the Dems would likely not have been able to get away with it.

Get ready for at least two more years, probably four, of this gutting of the American economy and thievery from the working class to enrich corporate interests.

[Templar 331]

Remember guys, if the "job creators" have more money then we can have more jobs!! Why should we give those lazy bums who work all those extra hours extra money?!?! /s



The hard on these people have for the rich is sickening. If you work more than 40 hours then you should be paid extra. End of story. This isn't some form of welfare, this is standard job practice and should be enforced.

[Daerio]

The context I have for this is the fact that in corporate America right now all they did was react to Obama's regulations by dodging them as they always have, by changing the pay structure and avoiding the penalties.

A major Canadian bank here in the US, TD, just finished adjusting their employees pay scale to fit these rules. Now they'll adjust back, and practically nobody will notice.

[Tennis]

Life tip - Work in a unionized position

[ezgeze]

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-us...-idUSKBN13H2JY

The states and business groups claimed in lawsuits filed in September, which were later consolidated, that the drastic increase in the salary threshold was arbitrary.
On Tuesday, Mazzant, who was appointed by President Barack Obama, ruled that the federal law governing overtime does not allow the Labor Department to decide which workers are eligible based on salary levels alone.
The Fair Labor Standards Act says that employees can be exempt from overtime if they perform executive, administrative or professional duties, but the rule “creates essentially a de facto salary-only test,” Mazzant wrote in the 20-page ruling.

Overstep legal authority because you cant get it passed through congress, don't be surprised when it gets shot down in the courts.

[ArguesWithStrangers]

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-us...-idUSKBN13H2JY


Overstep legal authority because you cant get it passed through congress, don't be surprised when it gets shot down in the courts.

Why the left feels it is inhumane to allow employers and employees to negotiate private contracts between themselves is beyond me.

[Captain N]

Life tip - Work in a unionized position

You'll have the schlobs here claiming that Union Dues are theft and that the union bosses are only after padding their own pockets...

Yeah I think it's awful that I have to pay $200/month in Union Dues to make $588/day and rising to $600/day come January 1st.

I think it's terrible that my Union based insurance costs me $200/month to fully cover my entire family.

I think it's terrible that I pay $85/month for "Can Insurance" so that if I get disciplined unjustly (pulled out of service) I still collect a paycheck while awaiting my investigation hearing.

I think it's atrocious that if my co-workers and I do well that it reflects on our management team and they end up doing well -- the managers get their bonuses and we get a bargaining chip for higher wages come the next negotiation.

But I suppose some people will say how great it is that their bosses hold all the cards.

/shrug

[Forgettable]

Animal Farm anyone?

[Draco-Onis]

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-us...-idUSKBN13H2JY


Overstep legal authority because you cant get it passed through congress, don't be surprised when it gets shot down in the courts.

And you think our republican congress would have voted for this rolfmao.

[Theinquisition]

Usually I take a pro-business stance, but I believe that people should be paid adequately for their work, and if you work over 40 hours a week, you should get overtime, period.

I get the arguments against salary pay getting overtime, but I still don't agree with it.

Anyway, I'd tell people, if the company you work for wants to stiff you overtime pay, work somewhere else.

[Gmollster11]

Life tip - Work in a unionized position

Worst advice ever.

Unions serve no beneficial purpose other than protecting bad behavior.

[Ivanstone]

Why the left feels it is inhumane to allow employers and employees to negotiate private contracts between themselves is beyond me.

Because you believe its ok for people to take advantage of others.

I'm sure when your current employer eventually stiffs you, you'll come here bawling about how unfair it is.

[Lady Dragonheart]

I don't fall under this cut, which is good. To those that it does, I hope that you're alright with no overtime money.