US Labor Secretary Thomas E. Perez’s statement on the filing of lawsuits challenging the department’s update to overtime rules

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez issued the following statement on the filing of lawsuits by a group of states, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other organizations in the Eastern District of Texas challenging the update to the Fair Labor Standards Act’s overtime rules for white-collar, salaried workers:

 “We are confident in the legality of all aspects of our final overtime rule. It is the result of a comprehensive, inclusive rule-making process. Despite the sound legal and policy footing on which the rule is constructed, the same interests that have stood in the way of middle-class Americans getting paid when they work extra are continuing their obstructionist tactics. Partisan lawsuits filed today by 21 states and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce seek to prevent the Obama administration from making sure a long day’s work is rewarded with fair pay. The overtime rule is designed to restore the intent of the Fair Labor Standards Act, the crown jewel of worker protections in the United States. The crown jewel has lost its luster over the years: in 1975, 62 percent of full time salaried workers had overtime protections based on their pay; today, just 7 percent have those protections – meaning that too few people are getting the overtime that the Fair Labor Standards Act intended. I look forward to vigorously defending our efforts to give more hardworking people a meaningful chance to get by.”