A federal court injunction on impending overtime changes has put a temporary halt to the new rule that was set to go into effect Dec. 1. Sen. Lamar Alexander's reaction to this court ruling is below:
"Today's federal court decision to stop the Labor Department's harmful overtime rule in its tracks has America's students, non-profits, and workers breathing a sigh of relief," said Senator Alexander. "I've heard from people all over Tennessee who had a great deal of concern about rising college tuition costs, fewer non-profit services, and diminished workplace flexibility - so this is a massive victory for them and for the more than 1,200 individuals and organizations -- from mental health treatment providers to Christmas tree farms --who wrote to me because they feared this rule's implementation on December 1."
In 2015, the Department of Labor released a proposal to increase the salary threshold under which employees qualify for overtime pay. The department's final rule more than doubled that salary threshold - from $23,660 to $47,476 - with just 6 months' notice, and would have resulted in students facing higher tuition costs and workers having less flexibility and opportunity for advancement in the workplace.
More than 400 organizations -- from universities to social services agencies -- have written to Senator Alexander in support of his bipartisan legislation to change the timeline for implementation of the Administration's overtime rule, and he has received nearly 800 letters to date from individuals expressing their opposition to the administration's rule.
Corker Statement on Court Blocking Obama Administration Overtime Rule
U.S. Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) released the following statement:
"This decision is a huge victory for small businesses and the many Tennesseans who would have experienced reduced hours or layoffs under this rule," said Corker. "The Obama administration's unilateral actions made sweeping labor regulation changes without congressional input, and I am pleased a federal judge agreed that the Department of Labor overreached its authority."
In May 2016, Corker co-sponsored the Protecting Workplace Advancement and Opportunity Act, which would nullify the Department of Labor's changes to federal overtime rules and require a full and complete economic analysis before promulgating a substantially similar rule. In June 2016, Corker co-sponsored a joint resolution disapproving of the Obama administration's overtime rule.