Official: Obama to push for more overtime pay

SHARE Official: Obama to push for more overtime pay

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama will direct the Labor Department to strengthen overtime pay protections for millions of workers, a White House official said.

The directive is meant to help salaried workers, such as fast-food shift supervisors or convenience store managers, who may be expected to work more than 40 hours a week without receiving overtime pay. The proposed change is part of Obama’s effort to focus on closing the gap between the wealthy and the poor, which also includes a call to raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 per hour to $10.10.

The proposal is likely to be met with opposition from some Republicans and members of the business community who say the private sector should have flexibility in setting wages.

Under the new changes Obama is seeking, the Labor Department could raise the pay threshold for workers covered by overtime rules. Currently, salaried workers who make more than $455 per week are exempt from overtime.

California and New York have set higher thresholds of $640 and $600 a week respectively, the White House official said.

Obama is expected to announce the proposed regulation changes on Thursday. The announcement is part of his self-described “year of action,” a series of economy-focused executive decisions that don’t require congressional approval.

The White House official said Obama is authorized to take this action on this own under the Fair Labors Standards Act, which Congress passed in 1938. The proposed changes will be subject to public comment before the Labor Department can start implementing the final rule.

The move was first reported by The New York Times. The official confirmed the announcement on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss the directive on the record before the president’s announcement.

JULIE PACE, ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Latest
Glass-facade buildings can disorient birds in flight. The city is expected to update and revise rules for new developments and rehabbed buildings next month. But bird groups say the proposed guidelines need to be mandatory.
The man was shot in the left eye area in the 5700 block of South Christiana Avenue on the city’s Southwest Side.
Most women who seek abortions are women of color, especially Black women. Restricting access to mifepristone, as a case now before the Supreme Court seeks to do, would worsen racial health disparities.
The Bears have spent months studying the draft. They’ll spend the next one plotting what could happen.
Woman is getting anxious about how often she has to host her husband’s hunting buddy and his wife, who don’t contribute at all to mealtimes.