Overtime Rules Likely to Have Little Effect

Proposed new rules from the Labor Department on overtime policy likely will have relatively little effect on the federal workforce, where overtime policy is set by a separate set of rules and, in some cases, by statute. The Labor rules, which will go into effect in four months unless blocked by Congress, are aimed at the private sector and guarantee overtime eligibility for certain lower-income workers while changing definitions of who is ineligible for overtime pay for various reasons. The final version adds some protections not in the earlier version for certain categories of employees, including firefighters and law enforcement officers. In the federal sector, changing overtime policy for those employees would have required legislation in any event. The main effect in the federal workplace may be to make certain higher level wage grade supervisors ineligible for overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act. However, those employees could remain eligible for overtime under separate law.