As Trump’s entrance into the White House nears, Democrats are becoming more worried about what legacies of Obama he will dismantle. Since the election, Sen. Chuck Schumer has already been attempting to scare Republicans into forgoing Obamacare repeal.
He now has drawn a line in the sand on Obama’s overtime regulation.
In a scheduled press conference on Thursday to draw attention to the rule, Schumer (along with other Senate Democrats) issued the following statement: “President Trump, this is a test for you. Will you follow up on your rhetoric on the campaign trail with real actions to help workers or will you turn the keys of your administration over to hard right ideologues who don’t want the government to do anything to protect fair pay for workers,” the incoming Minority Leader said.
The regulation, enacted by Obama and his labor secretary, requires most employers to pay overtime to salaried workers who earn less than $47,476 a year. It was supposed to go into full-effect on December 1st, but has been temporarily blocked by a Texas federal judge. Republican leadership on the Hill has already said the rule tops the list of Obama regulations on their chopping block list.
Democrats are trying to make the case that ditching the rule would be a betrayal to the working-class voters who propelled Trump to victory.
However, like most regulations, the labor rule does more harm than good. It has forced many salaried employees to transfer into hourly pay – creating a headache for employers and workers. The rule has the best intentions for low-skill, low-paid employees, but is wreaking havoc on white-collar workers. It even forces some skilled employees who wear a suit-and-tie to work to clock in and out while taking a simple lunch break. The arbitrary regulation has been inundated with complaints.
The judicial ruling has already placed the labor rule in limbo and it likely faces annihilation once Republicans reach the White House.