Posted on 03/12/2014 3:08:29 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Unlike his various “fixes” for ObamaCare, there actually is some statutory basis for this move. In both cases, though, he’s following the same rule: Even if the policy isn’t good, the politics are, and that makes it worth doing.
It’s a logical corollary to his push to raise the minimum wage. If, in the name of fairness and income equality, we can tell businesses how much to pay their lowest-ranking employees, we should also tell them how much to pay their middle managers, no?
Under current federal regulations, workers who are deemed executive, administrative or professional employees can be denied overtime pay under a so-called white-collar exemption.
Under the new rules that Mr. Obama is seeking, fewer salaried employees could be blocked from receiving overtime, a move that would potentially shift billions of dollars’ worth of corporate income into the pockets of workers…
In addition, Mr. Obama will try to change rules that allow employers to define which workers are exempt from receiving overtime based on the kind of work they perform. Under current rules, if an employer declares that an employee’s primary responsibility is executive, such as overseeing a cleanup crew, then that worker can be exempted from overtime.
Currently management can avoid paying you overtime if your duties are “executive” (i.e. supervisory) and if you make more than $455 per week. O wants to raise that salary cut-off so that lower-ranking “executives” get time and a half just like the people they’re supervising. New dilemma for businesses, then: Do they bite the bullet and pay extra to middle managers who work overtime? Or, in the name of keeping costs down, do they decide to be sticklers about hours?
First of all, nobody is guaranteed a pay increase as a result. Back when I was briefly in the Newspaper Guild, an older employee explained his real view of the utility of overtime laws: They force managers to schedule more carefully, to avoid cost overruns. As a relatively highly paid young reporter with zero control over my schedule, that made sense.
But that also means non-exempt employees will be watched more closely to avoid tripping the sort of litigation threat that increasing numbers of labor lawyers are looking out for. Working at home could become taboo, since the employer has more difficulty monitoring hours and working conditions. Employees who harbor the perhaps foolish idea that by working hard and taking on greater responsibilities they can move up in the organization will instead be told to go home and relax.
Less work — except for labor lawyers, who’ll be litigating these new regs to the last dotted “i”. Actually, “less work” is a nifty summary of Obamanomics to date: On top of massive long-term unemployment that’s persisted throughout our “recovery,” Obama’s minimum-wage hike would cut 500,000 people from the work force and his pet health-care law would encourage another 2.5 million to shake off the shackles of “job-lock” and ease themselves out the door. Hopefully Jared Bernstein’s right that there’ll actually be extra hiring because of this move as managers look to avoid overtime costs for one “executive” by bringing more “executives” onboard to fill out shifts. But then that assumes that there’ll be no offsetting cost-cutting, including payroll, as the new hires are brought on.
Like I said, though, good politics. Nothing’s going to save Democrats in November but maybe the extra income for some middle managers will soften the blow at the polls. And it pays for O to do something splashy occasionally to polish the Dem brand as the party of the middle class. Republicans with megaphones like Mike Lee and Rubio are looking to make inroads with blue-collar voters. The guy with the bully pulpit can do more to bigfoot them than anyone else.
As it is written, so shall it be.
Thus sayth King Obama.
Are legislative and executive branch employees exempt? I mean the rules obviously apply to the President, he is keeping to his 30 hour week in an exemplary manner.
Nobody stopped him when he made other “laws” that he had no right to make. So here he is again. And he will do it again and again.
Hopefully a time will come soon where TEApublicans start “tearing it all down”...including the IRS, the EPA, and the Dept of Labor.
As a majority party, they could spend a decade doing nothing but repealing reams of stupid business-stifling, job-killing regulations.
Business is none of government’s business.
There go more jobs. Do people actually think there are no adverse consequences to anything this guy does?
“Under current rules, if an employer declares that an employee’s primary responsibility is executive, such as overseeing a cleanup crew, then that worker can be exempted from overtime.”
That’s too bad. How is Hillary! going to find people willing to Shoot, Shovel and Shut Up during her upcoming presidential campaign if they’re denied overtime?
Bwaaa-Haaa-Haaa! I kill myself!
(Yeah. I’m a Middle Manager. In Retail. We’re a little sick in the head.) ;)
How much this impacts employers will certainly depend on what benchmark they raise the bar too...
I would say a vast majority of "exempt" worker already make more than $455 a week...that's $23,600 annually...not much for a supervisor type position...
If they are making $23,600 a year, then they are being abused by being exempt...if they are made to work more than 40 hours...
$455.00 a week is $11.38 an hour...add on any more hours and they are dipping down to the mid $8.00 a hour...
When I had "exempt" employees, they all make between 35K and 38K a year...that was almost 8 years ago...
My guess this is more about paying off some of his union thugs...their contracts are probably benchmarked against what a "exempt" supervisor non-union employees makes...
I think it may be a first for me, but I actually agree with Obama on this...if the new benchmark isn't a ridiculous amount...
The Unions hate management, so Obama hates management. To them, they are the absolute root of all evil in a capitalistic society.
whatever this is, it is NOT to help those working in management
The federal government has no proper role in legislating or dictating what companies can pay overtime to whom. It is not only not an enumerated power of the federal government, it is just meddling.
So, wrong method, but right outcome.
obama keeps sticking his big fat nose in our Lives!
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