Nearly three years ago, I stood in Columbus to announce that the Obama administration was going to finally raise the salary threshold to earn overtime pay, and make millions more workers eligible.
That would have meant more than 4 million Americans – including more than 130,000 Ohioans – were getting a raise.
But those workers never got that raise.
After the Obama Administration announced it was expanding overtime pay, rightwing attorneys general sued to stop it. And this year President Trump came up with a new rule that leaves far too many workers behind.
That’s why this week I reintroduced the Restoring Overtime Pay Act, to expand overtime pay for millions of workers in Ohio and across America.
If you work extra hours, you should earn extra pay – plain and simple. The current salary threshold for overtime is so out-of-date that it leaves most workers behind, and fails to support millions of working families struggling to make ends meet.
This president has refused to stand up for workers, so we will.
My Restoring Overtime Pay Act would codify the Obama Administration’s rule, increasing the overtime salary level from $23,660 per year, to roughly $51,000 per year, making about 4.6 million workers newly eligible for overtime pay.
These are not rich executives we’re talking about. Our bill would mean money in the pockets of Ohioans making $38,000 or $40,000 – workers like middle managers at banks and restaurants and grocery stores.
Right now, these workers are often required to work 50, 60, or 70 hours a week, without getting a cent in overtime. Our legislation would fix that.
When work has dignity, people are paid the extra wages they’ve earned for the extra hours they work. It’s that simple.