WASHINGTON — Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) has urged Congress to resist legislative intervention in the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL’s) attempt to revise regulations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). DOL has proposed a revision to Section 541 of the FLSA which defines white-collar employee overtime exemptions, and is currently reviewing public comment on these proposed changes.
"ABC believes that the department's proposal for updating Section 541 of the FLSA is a substantial step toward modernizing the definition of exempt and non-exempt employees," stated Kirk Pickerel, president and CEO of ABC. "Opponents claim that DOL's proposed changes to the FLSA will hurt blue-collar workers. This is simply not true. Section 541 applies strictly to white-collar professions, and in fact, DOL estimates that with these changes approximately 1.3 million more employees will be guaranteed the right to overtime pay.