Thursday, October 3, 2019

Newly-sworn in Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia on Monday selected the department's deputy solicitor, Rachel Mondl, to be his chief of staff. Mondl, the department's No. 2 legal official, had worked with Scalia at the law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. Mondl also was a staffer for Rep. Virginia Foxx (R - North Carolina) while Foxx chaired the Education and the Workforce Committee. At Scalia's White House swearing-in Monday, President Donald Trump reportedly described the vote to confirm Scalia as a "landslide." The final vote was a party-line vote, 53-44.

Overtime Rule Released: The Labor Department released a final rule that will expand overtime eligibility to 1.3 million additional workers. Under the rule, virtually all workers making less than $35,568 per year must be paid time and a half whenever their workweek exceeds 40 hours. The current salary ceiling has been stuck at $23,660 since 2004. The rule has been applauded by business groups and Republicans as a "reasonable update" and a "workable solution." More