After trade deal, Obama seeks to repair rift with labor

Within just hours of business leaders joining him at a White House signing ceremony for the polarizing trade bill, Obama announced a proposed Labor Department rule that would make more workers eligible for overtime.

On Thursday, Obama is traveling to LaCrosse, Wisconsin, to promote the overtime plan in the home district of Rep. Ron Kind, one of the 28 House Democrats who broke party ranks to side with the president and grant him broad trade negotiating powers.

While the president and congressman Kind have a difference of opinion with many leaders of organized labor about this approach, the fact is when it comes to the value of looking out for middle-class families, the leaders of organized labor and the Obama administration agree just about every time.

Obama has promoted an increase in the federal minimum wage and advocated for paid family and medical leave.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, whose president, Tom Donohue, attended the trade signing ceremony Monday, issued a blistering critique of the overtime rule, saying it would result in workers losing benefits, flexibility and advancement opportunities.