DOL’s Wage and Hour Division Announces Overtime Rule Listening Sessions

Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Wage and Hour Division (WHD) announced it will hold five public listening sessions to gather views on the Fair Labor Standards Act’s white-collar exemption regulations (also known as the “Overtime Rule”). The Federal Register notice asks for the public’s input on the following four questions related to the salary level test:

1. What is the appropriate salary level (or range of salary levels) above which the overtime exemptions may apply?

2. What benefits and costs to employees and employers might accompany an increased salary level?

3. What is the best methodology to determine an updated salary level?

4. Should the department more regularly update the standard salary level and the total-annual-compensation level for highly compensated employees?

The five listening sessions will occur throughout the country and will begin on September 7 in Atlanta, Georgia. You can find a full list of locations and times and register to attend any event here.

This is the first action DOL has undertaken to update the overtime rule since July 26, 2017, when the department issued a Request for Information (RFI) on the invalidated Obama Administration’s Overtime Rule.