Press Releases

Congressman Glenn Grothman (R-Glenbeulah) last night spoke on floor of the U.S. House of Representatives about the Department of Labor’s (DOL) overtime rule. Grothman spoke in support of the Regulatory Relief for Small Businesses, Schools and Nonprofits Act (H.R. 6094), which will provide a six-month delay in the effective date of the DOL rule.

Excerpt of Grothman’s remarks:

“As we look at this [rule], what is it about? It’s saying you have to pay overtime to someone who’s making over $47,000 a year. And what will that mean? It will mean employers will say, ‘You’ve got to get out of here.’ We can’t have you working more than 40 hours a week. That’s what’s going to happen.

“I’m reminded of a buddy of mine back home in the district. His daughter got a new job working for salary. He told her always make sure you’re the first person to show up in the morning and the last person to go home at night, and you will advance in that company. And she was the first person to show up in the morning and the last person to go home at night, and she’s having a very successful career doing so.

“So, what this [rule] does is kind of an odd thing: it makes it against the law to work hard.

“Think about that girl now. Now, she won’t be able to be the first person that shows up in the morning and the last person to go home at night because her boss is going to say, ‘Get out of here’.

“It is part of a pattern we are sadly seeing from this Administration to discourage hard work. Just like Obamacare, you work more hours and end up losing your Obamacare subsidy. Better not work hard. And just like a plethora of welfare programs around here.

“We do all we can in this country to penalize the hard-working. Furthermore, think just on a day-to-day basis, what it means to you as an employee.

“If you’re working for salary, say you’re working on a project, it gets near 5:00 p.m., and you’re not satisfied with your work project – what do you do? Turn in a bad work project to your boss or hang around another hour and do a good job?

“This in essence removes the choice for you. I’ve got to turn in a bad work product because my boss is going to kick me out of here at the end of eight hours.

“So my final plea is this: come Republicans, come Democrats. Race to the chamber and vote for this bill. Stand up for the hard-working members of our society.”

Click here to watch Grothman’s remarks.

Background:

The DOL rule is a Presidential Memorandum that alters overtime regulations to increase the salary level from $23,660 to $47,476 annually.  The rule is scheduled to take effect on Dec. 1, 2016.

Many employers, especially small business owners, will be forced to demote employees to hourly pay, costing employees workplace flexibility like working remotely, or potentially let go of employees to minimize the impact of the rule on their businesses.

Additionally, manufacturers, local governments and universities have voiced concerns about the DOL rule. These concerns include staff demotions and reductions, service cuts and having to close their doors permanently.

Manufacturers could potentially be the most affected industry in the Sixth District with the Center for Manufacturing Research predicting that the DOL rule will cost manufacturers $24 billion in compliance and 25 million hours of paperwork over the course of the next ten years.

H.R. 6094 delays the rule’s start date to give organizations and businesses additional time to plan for payroll changes and to discover how the rule will specifically affect them and make the necessary adjustments.

The Regulatory Relief for Small Businesses, Schools and Nonprofits Act passed the House by a vote of 246-177.

U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman is serving his first term representing Wisconsin’s 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

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