This is more about which salaried employees are exempt, that is they don't get overtime. The theory is if you are pulling an oar then, you get overtime if you

This is more about which salaried employees are exempt, that is they don't get overtime. The theory is if you are pulling an oar then, you get overtime if you are hourly or yearly paid. If you are in charge of the ship then you don't have to get overtime. The problem was the law set a fixed annual income as the test for exemption and this got eroded away by inflation. The Obama rule was an attempt to restore the original intent of the law.