A federal judge in Texas has blocked a rule from the U.S. Department of Labor that would have expanded overtime eligibility, according to a Dec. 6 news release from the American Dental Association.
Here are five things for dentists to know:
1. Judge Sean Jordan of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas granted summary judgement against the rule, stating the department overstepped its authority.
2. The Department of Labor proposed extending overtime pay eligibility to salaried workers who earn less than $55,068 annually, or $1,059 per week. The proposal was a nearly 55% jump over the current threshold of $35,568 per year, or $684 per week, that applies to businesses with over $500,000 in annual dollar volume.
3. After factoring out employer's annual dollar volumes, the change would have extended overtime eligibility to most dental assistants and dental laboratory technicians.
4. Last year, the ADA wrote a letter to the Department of Labor asking for reconsideration of the rule.
5. In the letter, the organization stated that expanded eligibility would be harmful to dentists because of the inability of dental practices to raise prices in order to offset heightened labor costs.