ARTBA Raises Concerns on Possible Overtime Revisions

What happened: ARTBA participated in a May 3 construction industry meeting with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to discuss potential revisions to its overtime regulations.

Why it matters: The agency is considering whether to change the salary threshold for exempting employees from overtime. It is meeting with different industry sectors as part of the deliberations. Todd Becker, senior vice president with ARTBA member company Wagman Heavy Civil and ARTBA Vice President of Regulatory & Legal Issues Nick Goldstein attended the construction session.

Becker explained ARTBA’s concern that any new salary level for overtime exemption reflect geographic differences in pay averages. Average salaries in urban areas might be higher than in rural areas, for example, and the agency should consider this when issuing new rules. Becker also explained that any new regulatory costs to transportation projects would most impact small and disadvantaged businesses. The cost also would get passed on to end users.

What’s next: DOL has not yet announced a proposed rule. ARTBA will continue to monitor the issue and inform our membership on next steps.