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U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown
How New
Overtime Rule Gives Back to Ohioans
Right now, Ohioans know they’re working more than ever before and for
less pay. Since the 1970s, middle class wages have stagnated, while the
number of hours spent on the job has gone up. The salary threshold to
be eligible for overtime pay hasn’t even come close to keeping pace
with inflation - leaving millions of families behind. Currently, only
people who earn $23,660 annually — roughly 11 percent of salaried
workers — qualify for overtime pay when working more than 40 hours a
week.
The middle class is our nation’s greatest strength, and the way we
build and support that middle class is by making hard work pay off.
It’s past time for overtime hours to mean overtime pay again.
That is why U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) is proud that the
Administration announced a new overtime rule to raise the salary
threshold and grant overtime pay to millions of American workers.
Yesterday, Sen. Brown joined Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of
Labor Thomas E. Perez in Columbus to formally announce the rule. Under
the new rule, salaried workers earning $47,476 annually would be
eligible for overtime pay. The Administration estimates this will
extend overtime pay to 4.2 million Americans, including 134,000
Ohioans, who are working long hours without fair pay. Additionally, the
salary threshold will be automatically revised every three years to
ensure that overtime pay keeps up with inflation. The final rule will
take effect on December 1, 2016.
There’s still a lot more we have to do — from raising the minimum wage
to ensuring equal pay to establishing paid sick leave and paid family
leave, but this new overtime rule is a major step in the right
direction that will help millions of families across the country.
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