WEEKLY ADDRESS: Expanding Overtime Pay

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Source: White House

In this week's address, President Obama discussed one of the single most important steps to help grow middle-class wages – expanding the number of workers who are eligible for the overtime that they have earned. Every week, millions of Americans work more than 40 hours but do not receive the overtime pay they deserve. This week, the Department of Labor finalized a rule to extend overtime protections to 4.2 million more Americans, which will boost wages for working Americans by $12 billion over the next 10 years. This action will not only mean a better life for more American families, but will also strengthen our economy across the board. The President emphasized that he will continue to build an economy where everyone gets a fair shot to get ahead.

Read more: https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/05/21/weekly-address-expanding-overtime-pay

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1. K&R

Heard when he did this the past week and it's way past time! I am thinking that it may have to be further codified in law so that an E.O. repeal by any (God forbid) future GOP President, would not negate the benefits.

Thanks for posting!

[JDPriestly]

2. Finally. This is such a good rule.

Not so long ago, someone some employee at a small shoe store could be named the "manager" of the other two employees (both working part-time), paid a pittance and be expected to work interminable hours "on salary" of $20,000 or so per year.

That's not even a really living wage for a person who is reliable enough to handle the closing out of the cash registers and the opening of the store every day.

The number of employees "managed" by these supposedly salaried employees was sometimes higher but the principle was the same. The employer was cashing in by exploiting and abusing the trust of a good employee. Nominally put the employee "in charge" of something, call him/her a manager, pay him/her on a salary basis and you could squeeze a lot of unpaid work from him/her.

I'm so thankful that Obama is putting an end to that very unfair labor practice.

But if we get the TPP, we will be unable to compete with countries who allow even worse labor practices.

How do we define slavery? At what point is a person paid so little that the person is worse off than a slave? Do we have people in America who work but do not earn enough to afford a place to sleep at night? These are not rhetorical questions. Does anyone really track and calculate how working people are doing in America?

I am thinking of temp workers who work irregular schedules, sometimes not very much, who do not have regular schedules either for work or for their paychecks. I am thinking of people who have a single employer but are on very irregular work and paycheck schedules. How do they cope?

We need a thorough review of what is going on in our working world in America.

Thanks again to President Obama for recognizing and dealing with one of the injustices in that world.

[Benitos]

3. Part-timers should get paid overtime

If you agree to be a part-time worker and you end up working beyond part-time hours during a certain day, those hours should be overtime.