Texas Judge Blocks Federal Overtime Rules

A federal judge in Texas has blocked a Labor Department overtime rule that would extend overtime to more than 4 million workers. The rule would have required employers to pay overtime to most salaried workers who earn less than $47,476 annually, starting Dec. 1. That would be a much higher threshold than the current annual overtime salary minimum of $23,660. “This is a victory for small business owners and should give them some breathing room until the case can be properly adjudicated,” said National Federation of Independent Businesses President and CEO Juanita Duggan. The NFIB had estimated that about 44 percent of small businesses employ at least one person who would have been subject to the adjusted rule.