Overtime rules should be delayed

To the editor:
As a small employer, I value my employees.
I try my best to be flexible with their schedules and pay them as much as I can afford. But that becomes difficult when the federal government imposes heavy handed mandates on my business.
For example, the Department of Labor's new overtime rule is forcing me to scramble to figure out which of my employees are newly eligible for overtime and whether I can afford it. 
I am at risk of having to monitor and reduce my employees' hours, and potentially be forced to curtail future hiring plans. Making matters worse, I need to be in compliance by Dec. 1 or my small business will face expensive penalties.     
Small business owners are their own human resources departments and compliance officers. It is preposterous for the federal government to treat us like large companies and implement a dramatic change in such a short time.
The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), on behalf of its members and all U.S. small employers, has called on the administration, the courts and Congress to delay the implementation of the overtime regulations.
The House of Representatives passed legislation that would delay the new mandate, and now the Senate has to act.  
I think that I can speak for all small business owners in Indiana when I say that Sen. Joe Donnelly needs to vote for a delay for small business. This is a reasonable compromise and could save many thousands of small businesses from ruinous compliance penalties.
Sincerely,
Don Ehlerding
Fort Wayne