NDA urges White House: avoid big changes to overtime rule
10 August 2023
Leaders from the National Demolition Association in the United States have met with officials from the White House and the Department of Labor (DOL), to discuss the Biden administration’s impending proposal to amend overtime regulations.
The White House’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) is currently reviewing a draft proposed rule from the DOL that could make changes to federal overtime pay requirements. The DOL is aiming to publish the proposed rule later this month.
In a meeting on Monday (7 August), the NDA’s government affairs staff urged the Administration to avoid making any significant changes to the existing overtime rule, which went into effect at the beginning of 2020.
“The NDA highlighted the demolition industry’s ongoing concerns with workforce shortages and inflation, and the negative impact that new regulations could have on a vulnerable and recovering economy,” said the association.
“The association also stressed its long-held belief that employers and employees are best served with a system that promotes maximum flexibility in structuring employee hours, employees’ career advancement opportunities, and clarity for employers when classifying employees.”
According to the NDA, which said it is monitoring the situation closely, the new overtime regulations would create “more economic uncertainty for employers and employees”.
It said the White House would better serve the industry by focusing on ways to improve the nation’s workforce development system, and by ensuring the “smooth implementation of the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law”.
Earlier this month, the NDA urged the United States Congress to bring back the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), in order to help demolition and construction sector employers recruit and retain skilled workers.