States, Businesses File Lawsuit Against New Overtime Rules

Twenty-one states and a coalition of business and industry groups filed separate federal lawsuits against the U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas E. Perez and the top Wage and Hour Administrator, David Weil, to try to block the federal overtime regulation changes. The changes are set to go into effect on Dec. 1, and will make about 4.2 million workers newly eligible for overtime pay. These workers are currently classified as executive, administrative and professional. The states involved in the lawsuit say the new regulations are a federal overreach and the business groups — including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Retail Federation — say the laws will hurt business.