U.S. judge strikes down Obama administration overtime pay rule

Rule would have doubled maximum salary a worker could earn while maintaining OT eligibility

U.S. judge strikes down Obama administration overtime pay rule
Workers use a time clock in Tracy, Calif. REUTERS/Noah Berger/File Photo [/Reuters]

 

 

 

(Reuters) — A federal judge in Texas on Thursday struck down an Obama administration rule that would have extended mandatory overtime pay to more than 4 million U.S. workers, siding with business groups and 21 states that had challenged it.

The decision came after the same judge last year blocked the rule from taking effect pending his final decision. The Trump administration had already said it would make changes to the rule, which riled trade groups and companies when it was adopted.

The rule would have doubled to about $47,000 the maximum salary a worker could earn and still be automatically eligible for overtime pay.

U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant in Sherman, Texas, said the salary level was set so high that it could sweep in some management workers who are supposed to be exempt from overtime protections.

 

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