Finance
Biden Doubles Down on Obama’s Failed Overtime Pay Scheme
Clear Facts:
- The Biden administration proposes to extend overtime pay protections to salaried workers earning less than $55,000 annually, echoing a similar effort by Obama in 2016.
- The current threshold for such workers is $35,500 per year, a figure established in 2020.
- The new rule aims to benefit 3.6 million salaried workers and will be open for public comment for two months.
The Biden administration, through the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), unveiled a new plan on Wednesday, seeking to broaden the reach of overtime pay protections to salaried workers. This action is reminiscent of former President Barack Obama’s attempt, which faced a legal defeat in the courts.
As per the details shared in the DOL’s press release, under the newly proposed rule, employers will be mandated to provide overtime pay to salaried employees working beyond 40 hours weekly if their earnings don’t surpass $1,059 weekly or $55,000 annually.
This move by the Biden administration is akin to the Obama-era 2016 attempt, aiming to make workers earning up to $47,000 yearly eligible for overtime pay.
This earlier effort, however, was nullified by a Texas federal judge who argued the set threshold was exorbitantly high, incorporating certain management-level workers who should ideally be excluded from such overtime pay protections, as reported by Reuters.
Jessica Looman, the principal deputy wage and hour division administrator, voiced the administration’s stance on this issue, stating in the press release:
“We are committed to ensuring that all workers are paid fairly for their hard work. For too long, many low-paid salaried workers have been denied overtime pay, even though they often work long hours and perform much of the same work as their hourly counterparts. This proposed rule would ensure that more workers receive extra pay when they work long hours.”
For context, the current bar set for salaried employees engaged in managerial tasks to be eligible for overtime pay is at $35,500 per annum. This threshold was put into place by the Trump administration back in 2020, as cited by Reuters.
When an employee crosses the 40-hour weekly working mark, the overtime pay mandates employers to compensate them at one and a half times their standard pay rate.
The DOL’s fresh proposal aims to extend these overtime rights to approximately 3.6 million salaried employees.
Furthermore, it has been designed to provide clearer criteria for determining which workers fall under executive, administrative, or professional categories and should thus be exempt from overtime pay.
The public has been granted a 60-day window to share their thoughts and feedback on this proposed rule.
We want to know what you think! Share your thoughts in the comments below.
bozo mctavish
September 7, 2023 at 6:51 am
joe biden and his cackling cohort…two of the dumbest people on the planet !!!
A Clear-eyed Patriot
September 7, 2023 at 3:45 pm
Right, real dumb. A couple of real Bozos. Trying to help 3.6 Million over-worked and under-paid people being exploited by multi-million dollar corporations, managed by executives who think of the employees annual wages as “chump change,” as they pocket annual bonuses in the tens of thousands to millions of dollars for keeping the employees working at slave wages. I don’t see that as dumb, Bozo.
Leftshot
September 7, 2023 at 7:54 am
That is the Executive Branch making law and is unconstitutional.
RALPH
September 7, 2023 at 10:12 am
I feel that this action is 100% non American which I feel is the same thing as the Democrat party which is 100% non American
A Clear-eyed Patriot
September 7, 2023 at 4:11 pm
Hmm, let’s see. Franklin D. Roosevelt, who guided U.S. policy during World War Two – UN-American? Harry S. Truman, who made the decision to use the Atomic bomb to bring that war to a close – UN-American? John Kennedy, a PT Boat commander who rose to become President and initiate this country’s entry and world leader in the global space program, UN-American? Linden B. Johnson, who’s dedication to human rights brought about the Civil Rights Legislation, UN-American? Yeah, all those damn unamerican Democrats. Get a clue. The only UN-Americans are those who try to destroy our democracy and tear down the Constitutional rule of law. They can be found on both sides of the aisle and proliferate in the Corporatocracy whose billions are used to steer our contemporary government to enhance their profits.
Homer
September 11, 2023 at 11:18 am
DO “YOU” want to KNOW the “ROOT cause of this U.N./U.S.A. Global destruction? Why it’s “The LOVE” of money! 1 Tim 6:10 KJV That’s the ROOT cause of the whole problem! Men LOVE money rather than GOD!!
1PatriotForever
September 11, 2023 at 3:10 pm
There is No Such Thing as Diversity in this hiring BIAS- Its AFFIRMATIVE ACTION REDRESSED WITH THE SAME LIPSTICK ON THE PIG.
It’s all about Hiring Discriminatory practices and selecting Blacks & Illegals, whether fit or competent for the Job. I have seen it and its THE PETER PRINCIPLE in action: To raise someone to a higher level than they can manage only to hurt their companies and bring detention around them. This is coming from BlackRck and ITS AFFIRMATIVE ACTION which the SUPREME Court said no longer applied and dismissed but the BLACK RICK BIDEN OBAMA Administration is just giving Scotus the FINGER