NWLC Applauds Biden Administration’s Proposal to Strengthen Overtime Protections
(Washington, D.C.) Today, the Biden Administration’s Department of Labor (DOL) proposed a rule to substantially strengthen the weak overtime regulations issued by the Trump Administration in 2019. Under the proposal, the annual salary threshold under which employees are guaranteed to be eligible for overtime pay will rise to $55,068, up from the current level of $35,568. This increase will extend long overdue protections to millions of workers who are working more than 40 hours per week for no additional compensation. And by providing for automatic updates to the threshold every three years to keep pace with rising wages, DOL’s new rule will ensure that overtime protections do not erode as they have in recent decades.
The following is a statement by Emily Martin, National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) Vice President for Education & Workplace Justice:
“The overtime rule proposed today is a modest but essential measure that will benefit millions of working people across the United States—particularly working women. Whether they are paid hourly or annually, women and especially women of color are paid less than men in our economy. Women are also overrepresented in sectors like leisure and hospitality, where employers often abuse the current weak overtime rules to grant a ‘promotion’ that actually means working more hours for less pay. With a higher overtime salary threshold, many women will see higher pay when they work more hours—and some will be required to work fewer hours, gaining time for caregiving and other responsibilities that women routinely take on for their families. We encourage the Department of Labor to finalize and implement this critical rule without delay.”