A long-awaited update to federal overtime rules means about 1.3 million workers will be entitled to extra pay when they work more than 40 hours a week. But critics say it doesn't go far enough.
"For want of a comma" in a state labor law, a federal appeals court had said that a group of Maine dairy drivers were eligible for overtime pay. A $5 million settlement has been reached.
The future of the rule is extremely uncertain. Even if the Obama administration wins its appeal, the incoming Trump administration has already threatened to scrap the measure.
About 4 million workers would have become eligible to earn overtime under the new rule set to go into effect Dec. 1. Business groups and 21 states sued. A Texas judge has now put the rule on hold.
California lawmakers just passed a landmark bill that would make farmworkers eligible for overtime if they work more than eight hours a day or 40 hours a week. Some farmers say they can't afford that.
