President Obama’s long-awaited increase in overtime pay eligibility has taken the next step to being a reality—a reality that would mean five million American workers would get overtime pay if they worked extra hours:
The Department of Labor (DOL) has sent its finalized changes to the rule expanding who is covered by overtime laws to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), ThinkProgress has learned, one of the final steps before it can take effect.
President Obama announced an executive order in early 2014 to update the labor regulations that require employers to pay time and a half for working more than 40 hours a week. It took a bit more than a year, but in June of 2015 the DOL announced its proposed rule to increase the salary threshold to $50,440, more than doubling it from where it stands now, thus ensuring that anyone who makes that much or less will be covered. It also proposed updating other exemptions to narrow how many people could be denied overtime because they qualify as highly compensated or as an executive or professional worker. [...]
But by releasing the final rule now, the DOL avoids the risk that it would get delayed even further by a Congressional “resolution of disapproval,” which would be an option after May 18. Once the rule is approved by OMB, it will likely go back to the DOL to be put into effect.
Affected workers will either get the same pay and more free time, or work the same hours and get more pay. And affected companies will lose a way to exploit their workers.
A fair day’s wage
● Having two people on train crews seems like a good idea, right? Would it surprise you to learn that the rail industry is not happy the federal government is proposing that?
● The McDonald's model goes on trial.
● A Chipotle worker is getting his job back plus back pay after being fired for tweets about his employer and circulating a petition on wages.
● The end of automatic tipping has devastated restaurant paychecks.
● Bernie Sanders picked up another union endorsement this week, from the Amalgamated Transit Union, which has more than 190,000 members.
● Arizona Republicans are taking pre-emption to the next level.
● You may not know it, but workers like this man are classified as tipped workers. Do you know to tip them?
● Maine Gov. Paul LePage continues to keep it classy.
Education
● What rights do you lose by going to a charter school?
● How the cutthroat Walmart business model is reshaping American education.
● A look at the successor to No Child Left Behind.